Strawberry Princess
by Anyone But Sasuke
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki is your normal teenage girl...or not. FemIchigo
1. Chapter 1

A/N: If I owned bleach Ichigo would be a girl, in a veeeerrrryy steamy yaoi relationship, or I would be in there. Let me know if there is an actual page with an idiot named Naru.

Chapter One- Dream

"You can't win,"- _Straightjacket Feeling, _The All American Rejects

"Miss Kurosaki! This is the nineteenth time this month that you've been sent to my office for wearing the wrong uniform!" the principal had a hard time not glaring at his student. She sat in a chair on the opposite side of his desk, feet propped up on top of it. She was the definition of calm, even yawning to prove it.

"So?" Her voice was bored, and her cocoa-brown eyes never opened, even when the man in front of her sighed.

"Miss Kurosaki, I am aware that you think the girls' uniform is degrading and sexist, but if you insist on wearing the boys' uniform, could you at least grow your hair? You look like a man."

This caused a smile to flicker across the girl's face. One eye cracked open, staring at the man in front of her. "What are you talking about? I have _boobs_ don't I?" This caused him to blush, because there was no way she wasn't a girl.

"Just try not to get into anymore trouble, okay Kurosaki?" The girl laughed all the way out the door.

"Ichigo!" The dry rang out, and the girl turned to face her friends. Keigo, predictable Keigo, tried glomping her, but she shoved his face into the ground. Chad just stood there, but Ichigo could see that his head was tilted just a little bit to the side and she knew he was asking a question.

"What happened in there, Strawberry?" Mizuiro asked. Keigo and Chad nodded, though Chad's was imperceptible to most eyes.

Ichigo rolled her eyes and let out a short laugh before running a hand through her electric orange hair. "Don't worry about me guys. I've been doing this since Dad started buying me the wrong uniform a few years back." She bounced forward, then spun around, "C'mon! I'd rather not have to go to the head's office because I was late. Going for my uniform is enough." Keigo and Mizuiro walked ahead, while she and Chad listened to them argue about who was more of a goddess, Orihime or 'Irena' (Ichigo had figured out right away that meant her). Chad was her best friend, and next to those two, she could see why.

They entered the classroom, and Ichigo used her friends to hide from Chizuru. But it was already too late. "Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed, and the girls of her class crowded around. Any other day she wouldn't have minded (much), but today something felt wrong in the air, and Ichigo didn't like it. Chad and Tatsuki could handle anything thrown their way, but people like Orihime and Michiru couldn't. And if it was some kind of ghost thing, none of them would be able to, except for her.

"Ichi!" Chizuru and Orihime both hugged the taller girl, although for completely different reasons. Ichigo cringed. They were…….touching her.

"….Hi….me…….Chi…….zu…" she managed to choke out. "…Let…me….go…" Orihime, knowing Ichigo as well as she did, immediately let go. Chizuru pouted a little bit, and ended up on the floor. Tatsuki laughed. A lot. Before anyone could ask Ichigo anything (how did **she** get to be this popular anyways?), the bell rang, and everyone raced to their seats. Ichigo was glad her teacher had a screwed up sense of alphabetical order and put her behind Chad. That way she could close her eyes and sleep until class was over. Knowing Chad would lend her his notes without her even having to ask (like he did with anyone with the misfortune of sitting behind the tall Mexican), she rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes.

_The girl stood with her back to Ichigo. She was shorter than the orange-haired teen, but Ichigo could tell she knew more. Suddenly, a sword appeared at Ichigo's hip. She pulled the blade out of the sheath, and her arm moved without consent, slicing the black-haired girl's head from her shoulders. Ichigo screamed_ and bolted awake. Miss Ochi was sitting backwards in Chad's seat. Without meaning to, Ichigo reached to her back, knowing something was supposed to be there to help her strike down her enemies. Finding nothing, the girl sighed, and stood up. "I gotta go see the head?" Miss Ochi nodded. Ichigo sighed, gathered up her books, and walked out the door.

After she put her books into her bag, she decided that she could always go see the head tomorrow, and the girl walked to the bathroom. She let the water run for a minute before filling her cupped hands and drenching her face with the cold water. She shook her head a few times to clear it, droplets spattering over her reflection in a pattern undistinguishable to a human mind.

In the mirror behind her, she saw a young girl standing behind her, and sighed. Slowly, Ichigo turned around. "Can I help you?"

A/N: I'm sorry if Ichigo is a little out of character, but then again, she's a girl. She has to be a little out of character, hahahaha (not funny.) :P

I am sooo sick right now it isn't even funny. Chapter 2 will be posted within the next 24 hours. It makes me mad because it is too much like the manga/anime, but nothing I could do about that. Comments would be appreciated! Please, if you don't like, simply don't read. How would you like it if I went to all your stories and wrote mean stuff?

I thought so.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Strawberry and the Soul Reapers

"And so fell the sword of fate."- Bleach, Chapter One

"Hey! Boys!" She yelled doing her best to get the skateboard attention. Sure enough, they slowed down long enough for her to knock the largest one out.

"You got a death wish girlie?" One of them slid up behind her. "You jump Li'l Yama for no darn reason, then order us out like we was dogs?" She let him get close enough that she could feel him against her back, then spun around and jerked her knee up sharply.

"She dropped li'l Toshi!"

"Lord Buddha! That is messed up….real messed up…..That's one blood thirsty berry head."

"That chick's a stone cold killer! Mess with 'er, and she'll kill you!" Ichigo smirked. It was good to be feared.

"Listen up you pond scum! Do you see that?" She pointed at the ghost, but, of course, they only saw the vase of flowers, knocked to the ground. It nearly broke Ichigo's heart, and certainly would have if she hadn't made it stone.

"Question number one," she glared at them. "What do you think that is? You! The smelly looking one in the middle. ANSWER!"

The thugs panicked, until all but one realized that he wasn't in the center, and relaxed slightly. "I guess…s-somebody left these flowers for some dead kid?"

"Congratulations! You get a prize!" She spun, kicking him in the mouth. Under her foot, Ichigo heard a sickening crunch and knew that she had broken the guy's jaw.

"Question number 2," she said, a sadistic smirk tugging at the edges of her lips. "Why is that vase lying on it's side?"

"Dat's cuz," the braver one paused, "We knocked it over with our skateboards?"

"Is that so?" She paused, and the small smile turned into a full out twisted grin. "Well you'd better go apologize, or next time the flowers will be for you!" She laughed as the gang turned around, running away screaming. Ichigo turned to the ghost girl. "There. That should keep them from coming back."

The girl smiled through the blood on half of her face. "Thank you. I think I'll be able to rest in peace now."

Ichigo grinned. "That's good. After all, you deserve to rest peacefully." She walked away, any sign of happiness fading from her face. The ghost sightings, and pleas for help, were becoming more frequent, but that was the first time a ghost had come to her from so far away. She sighed. No way on Earth would she make it home for supper. Isshin, her father, would probably attack her again, claiming that "boys" should know how to fight. He drove her mad, calling her a boy all the time. She knew it was only because he had wanted a son too, and the….death… of her mother had drove him over the edge. She would feel sorry for him, if he wasn't so annoying!

It was nearly eight by the time she got home, and through the window Ichigo could see Karin and Yuzu arguing over something, most likely where she was. You would never be able to tell that they were twins unless you knew them. Karin looked like their dad, tall (for a ten year old) with dark hair and brown eyes. Yuzu looked like their mom, with lighter hair (although not as bright as Ichigo's) and green eyes. Suddenly, she wanted them to stop worrying about her. She bounded to the front door and raced inside.

"I'm home!" She called, only to get a mouthful of extremely nasty sock. She flew back, only to slam into the wall.

"You let your guard down!" Isshin sang. "Always stay alert when you enter a room and you're late for dinner again!"

"C'mon! Is that any way to treat your daughter after she just helped a spirit find peace!"

"SILENCE! Oh, so it's the ghost's fault is it? So I suppose it was ghosts that left your room a mess! When are you going to show some discipline, my son! Just because you see ghosts and I don't!"

The two began trading a flurry of kicks and punches, attacking like two ninja. "I'm a GIRL, goddamn it Dad!"

Yuzu scowled. "Stop fighting! Get over here and eat your dinner." When neither listened to her, she pulled in a breath. "NOW!!!"

Ichigo flinched, but there were more important matters at hand. "Let me tell you Dad! Decent fathers don't make their teenage daughters home by seven!"

"Ichigo!" The twins chimed. Ichigo shivered. Only if you knew them…..

"You have a new one," Karin informed her.

The fifteen year old groaned as she finally noticed the middle-aged man standing…or rather…floating behind her. "NO!!! Another damn pervert!"

"Ichigo's so lucky to be able to see ghosts!" yuzu exclaimed. "I wish I could too."

"I don't see the big deal. I don't even believe in them!" Yuzu shot her twin a questioning look. "I'm in permenant denial. Just seeing them doesn't make me believe in them."

Ichigo sighed, and was tackled to the ground. "You dropped your guard again!" The girl threw him off, this time watching her father slam into the wall.

"You know what? I'll eat later." She walked upstairs and to her room.

She lay on her bed, praying her father wouldn't feel the need to tackle her again. Thoughts, feelings raced through her mind, until she noticed the butterfly.

It was black, with intricate markings on it's wings, almost impossible to see. It was tiny: even if it's wings lay flat, it would still fit in the palm of herr hand. Barely, but it would. She watched it, wondering how it got into her room. A rustling of material caused her to sit up and spin around just as a portal was closing behind a dark haired girl, probably a few years younger than Ichigo herself.

But that didn't mean Ichigo didn't recognize her. It was sort of a shock, seeing her face. After all, the dream that afternoon hadn't been her first nightmare about chopping someone's head off, although the sword was different. It was mainly the sword, which was strapped to the other girl's waist, that made her connect the two.

"Hey! It's you!" The girl ignored her.

"It's close," she whispered, a slight note of pain in her voice.

Not that Ichigo noticed until she had kicked the girl over. "How's that for close!" She flicked on the lights. "If you think you're a burglar you're not a very good one! What's close? The safe? You shouldn't talk to yourself!" Ichigo didn't even mention the pain she felt at being ignored. After all, it was irrational, out of character, and just strange. Ichigo had never even met her before!

The girl looked over her shoulder at Ichigo. "You… you kicked me!!" She exclaimed, awe filling her voice. "But I can't be seen by normal humans! Are you saying you can see me?"

Ichigo snorted. "Well, considering that was my foot I just planted in your behind …... Heck yeah I can see you!"

The girl stood up, keeping one hand on her sword. The black material of her outfit shuffled as she lifted her other hand to Ichigo's face, looking for any problems. "How strange. You LOOK normal."

Ichigo growled. She was _touching_ her! She slapped away the offending hand. "Who are you?"

The girl smirked, a look of content in her dark blue eyes. "You want to know? I'm a soul reaper." Her gloating look died as she realized that Ichigo had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm a soul reaper. I've come from the Soul Society to destroy demons called hollows."

Ichigo nodded. "That's all believable to me…..along with FLYING PIGS and the TOOTH FAIRY!"

The girl glared. "You insolent… you can see ghosts, yet you do not believe in soul reapers?!?"

Ichigo snorted at the girl's serious face. "I've never seen a soul reaper before, and your story seems a little too unbelievable to me. I don't believe in anything I can't see. I'd agree that you aren't living, but go play your 'soul reaper' game somewhere else, okay, little snot?" She shoved the girl back towards where the portal had opened, "Now run along."

"You dare speak to me that way?" Ichigo began to wonder if glare was the permanent setting for this girl's face. "Bakudo number one! SAI!"

Before the confusion had completely passes, she felt her muscles clench, pulling her arms behind her back and exposing her neck. Her knees buckled, and Ichigo only had time to mutter, "Oh crap," before she hit the floor.

The soul reaper smirked happily. "I've used what's called a kido on you. This one paralysis."

Ichigo glared. "No! Really? I hadn't noticed!"

"It's useless to struggle against it," the girl continued almost happily. "You're just wasting your time. I may appear young to you, but I have lived more than ten of your lifetimes. I would kill you on the spot for your insolence, but the provisional spirit law forbids unauthorized executions."

Ichigo growled, trying to break free. "Freakin' wanna-be samurai!" she snapped, eyeing the sword tied to the girl's waist.

The girl's smirk became more pronounced. "And now," the sword made a slight hissing sound as she pulled it out of the sheath. Ichigo closed her eyes. This had too be punishment for her dream, and to her surprise the only fear she had of death was if her father would start calling Karin a boy after.

But the desperate cry she heard did not escape her lips, nor the dark-haired soul reaper's, who still had her sword extended, but the blade was pointed towards the ceiling. The blunt end of the hilt rested on the ghost's forehead, and even if Ichigo recognized him as one of the pervert types, she still wondered what would happen to him.

"No! Please! I don't want to go to hell!" Sweat and tears fogged the man's glasses, hiding his eyes from them.

"Do not presume," the girl's voice was soft, although her eyes held the familiar annoyance of one who had done something too many times, "for you are headed to a better place; the soul society. Unlike hell, it is a restful place." She removed the sword, placing it back in it's hilt. Another portal opened, swallowing the ghost, and releasing a different black butterfly.

"W-What happened?" Ichigo stammered, a faint blush crossing her cheeks. She was embarrassed at how easily she had been ready to give up her life.

"I sent him to the soul society by performing konso, the soul funeral. People here sometimes call it 'passing on'. It is one of the duties of a soul reaper. To ask if you believe me no longer seems necessary.

"Now I will explain to you why I'm here, and I'll use small words so you can understand it."

A few minutes later, Ichigo decided that they must not have art class in this 'soul society' place. And that kind of sucked. Because maybe if they had, the soul reaper in front of her may have drawn better pictures.

"In this world, there are two types of souls. The first kind are the normal spirits called wholes. The ghosts you know are of this kind." Ichigo didn't agree, because her ghosts were usually human, not cute little bunny-things surrounded by hearts. And judging from the girl's other drawing……. "The other kind are evil spirits called Hollows. They attack the living or dead to devour their souls."

'And they probably aren't adorable little bears,' Ichigo added mentally, barely hearing the other girl ask if she had any questions.

"Yeah. Why do your drawings suck so bad?"

The soul reaper took her time drawing the little curly mustache on Ichigo's face.

"We soul reapers have two principal duties." The soul reaper was too busy ranting to notice Ichigo wiping her face off on a dirty shirt. "First, to lead wholes to the soul society through konso. Secondly, to vaporize hollows, which is my mission now."

Ichigo completely ignored the drawings this time. "You mean there is a hollow out there now?" The girl nodded. Ichigo let out a cry of frustration. "So go kill it!"

The soul reaper ducked her head, not allowing her dark blue eyes to meet Ichigo's brown ones. "I haven't been able to sense it for a whi-,"

The cry slammed into Ichigo's mind, causing her to wince in pain. It was wild, primitive; hurt, with no chance of healing. A small whimper escaped her lips, and she rested her head on the floor, listening to the soul reaper as she worked to regain her calm exterior.

"Like some force obstructing my senses," the other girl wasn't paying any attention, and Ichigo wondered if she had heard that cry so many times it no longer had any effect on her.

"Soul Reaper! What was that blood-curdling howl?" She shouted, trying to keep herself from being sick.

"What do you mean?" It sounded again, and the girl leapt to her feet. "Now I hear it! Defiantly a hollow!"

There was a loud crash downstairs, and Ichigo heard the twins scream. Her door opened, and Yuzu stumbled inside, falling to the floor.

"Ichigo, Karin's been……..You've got to save her!" Yuzu fainted, and the soul reaper ran down the stairs. Ichigo pushed herself to her feet, stumbling until she reached the stairs, then falling to the girl's feet. Yuzu was right. She had to save her family.

"Stay out of it! You'll only get in the way!" Ichigo didn't listen, once again climbing to her feet.

"Shut…….up…." She half-growled, half panted, trying to force the invisible ropes off her body. They snapped, and Ichigo rushed forward to save Karin, who was trapped in the monster's hands.

The hollow didn't look anything like she thought it would. It was at least three times taller than her, with spindly limbs and a white and black mask covering it's face and hair, although that face couldn't have been **human**. Once again, Ichigo felt herself reach for the weapon that should have been on her back, but it wasn't there.

'_Yet,'_ some part of her mind promised, and Ichigo knew she'd have to survive with what she had.

She kicked, aiming for it's head, but it smashed it's fist into her body, and she went flying. "Ichigo! Get me out of here!" Karin's scream sent energy into her tired muscles, and she stood up, ready for another go. But before the orange haired teen could do anything, the soul reaper cut through the hollow's arm. Karin fell, and Ichigo slid forward, catching her sister in her arms.

"Stay calm. The hollow hasn't eaten anyone's soul." Ichigo looked up from Karin's face to glare at the girl.

"I thought you said hollows eat souls! Why is it coming after my family?!?!"

"Hollows attack opportunistically. I have never met a human who was able to see me, or break the kido. It was probably coming after you."

Ichigo paled. "My family is hurt because of me?"

The soul reaper stopped, turning around. "I didn't say that." Ichigo screamed as the hollow hit the girl into a wall. She got to her feet, walking towards it.

"HEY! Hollow-scum! If you want me, fight me!" The hollow roared, and took a swipe at her. Ichigo flipped backwards, but there was no way she was going to miss his teeth.

'Great. I've always wanted to be eaten to death!' Ichigo thought sarcastically. Once again, she found herself prepared for death. She closed her eyes.

The sickening double cry tore through Ichigo like a sword, and chocolate eyes popped open to watch the other girl remove herself from the hollow's teeth. The monster tossed her to the side.

"Soul Reaper!" they cry tore itself from Ichigo's lips before she could stop it.

"You fool! I am too injured to fight him! Tell me, do you wish to save your family?"

'That's a him?' Ichigo thought before the girl's full meaning sunk in. "What kind of a person do you think I am," she demanded angrily, ready to do anything.

"Take my zanpakuto, and run it through your heart. There is a chance you will die, but if not I will be able to give you my powers, and temporarily turn you into a soul reaper."

Ichigo paused for only a second. "Give me your sword, soul reaper."

The girl smiled weakly. "Not 'soul reaper.' My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"Oh. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki," she gripped the blade, understanding now why she had been so ready to accept death. "Let's hope this won't be our last meeting."

And then the zanpakuto was in her chest, and Ichigo felt cold until the heat consumed her, blinding her world.

She pulled the sword off her back, and with unpracticed precision she swung the blade, cutting off the hollow's other arm.

The voice in her head was not hers. **'I only meant for half…..and this sensation…why didn't I realize it before? My senses were being jammed by her! The zanpakuto reacts to reiatsu…never have I seen it so big!'**

"That's for hurting my family, you freak!" Ichigo yelled, slamming the blade into it's mask. The hollow disappeared, and Ichigo passed out, her body overtired and over-used.

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A/N: YAY! IT'S DONE! There will probably never be a chapter that long or so close to the actual plot again. From here on out, it's mostly my own ideas. (Unless you see something that looks a little too familiar. Not mine and never will be.)

Are you aware that you just read 2,893 words that I wrote? Holy cracker boxes. It took 7 1/8 pages on Microsoft Word.

*dies*


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Because Ichigo hears so many voices in her head:

'**words'**- Rukia

'words'- Ichigo

_words­_- dreams

'_words'_- Hichigo/Zangetsu

Chapter 3- What is a shinigami?

"If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error." – John Kenneth Galbraith

Her dream that morning was different, _because if she didn't notice that she could see everyone's face, she was crazy._

_Isshin was right in front of her, but half of his face was a hollow's mask. A scream of rage passed her lips: How dare he mock her! The zanpakuto on her back flew to her fingers, and it's shape reminded her of a butcher's knife as she swung it around, effectively chopping off his head. She laughed triumphantly, and moved on to her next victim._

_He was tall, although not as tall as Chad, and when he looked at her his eyes were soft. She loved his eyes, they reminded her of the night sky: dark, with bright twinkly bits in them. His hair was long enough that it tugged back in the wind, although it probably could have been braided or put in pig-tails or something. Once again, it reminded her of the sky, because her dreaming mind told her if she buried her head in it, his hair would be as endless as the night._

_So she wouldn't have attacked him if he hadn't glared at whatever was behind her. Because as soon as he did, she was reminded of the ivory mask that Isshin wore to mock her, and she had to kill him to protect whatever it was she had to._

"Good morning Ichigo!" Ew. The last thing she wanted to wake up to was her father's yucky speckled socks. So Ichigo ducked, rolled, and threw the man to the ground, firmly placing her hand on his face to slam his head into the floor.

"What kind of sick bastard attacks his own daughter in her sleep?" Ichigo demanded.

"Not bad, boy!" Isshin mumbled through her hand, sobbing slightly. "I…….I have nothing left to teach you!"

Ichigo rolled her eyes, but then the memories of the night before crashed back into her mind.

'**I thought she was supposed to be in this class?'** The random thought was gone before Ichigo could even process it, never mind make sense of it.

"Where are your wounds?" She demanded. Her dad looked completely normal, and that couldn't be right

……okay, normal for him

Isshin looked confused. "Wounds? Was I hurt?"

Ichigo was positive of the events of the night before. After all, her dreams usually involved hacking people's heads off. So the only intelligent answer she could come up with was a confused, "Whaaa?"

"Dad, is she awake?" Yuzu yelled up the stairs. "Yeah! We're going to need her help!" Karin's voice came from a little farther away.

"Ichigo!" Isshin's eyes were wide and excited. "You'll never guess what happened." Ichigo had only moments to decide that he reminded her of a kid on Christmas before he grabbed her hand and dragged her down the stairs and out the front door.

"A miracle! A truck crashes into our house, and no one gets hurt!" Somehow Isshin had time to change into an 'I love construction' t-shirt without anyone noticing.

"Double miracle- none of us even woke up," Ichigo said. Maybe it had been a dream….but she knew that it wasn't, because she could see burn marks on the ground that were **not** big enough to be tire tracks…..Had she done that?

'I wonder if she's gone back to that Soul Society place,' Ichigo remembered the dark-haired soul reaper, Rukia. The blood pounded in her head, and she rested it lightly in her fingers.

"Some miracle," Karin grumbled. "The jerk left us the repair bill. This family, geez."

Yuzu smiled happily. "It's okay. He'll be back someday." Her twin rolled her eyes.

"No, he won't." Ichigo felt almost calm as she listened to her family argue. It didn't matter if they remembered or not. She had been able to save them this time.

Suddenly remembering that it was only Tuesday, Ichigo glanced at her watch. 10:15 am. "Crap! Yuzu, Karin, we're late for school!" All three gave her a funny look, one that clearly stated that they had known that. "Look, I get in enough trouble already, I have to get going!" She dashed inside and, only minutes later, raced back past her family in her uniform, her bag slung over one shoulder.

"Ichigo! We need your help!" Karin and Yuzu yelled after her. Ichigo spun around but kept going, using one eye to make sure she wasn't going to trip.

"Do as much as you can without me! I'll be home soon!" Then she turned the corner and was out of sight.

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"She may be absent today," Ichigo could hear Mizuiro talking from the other side of the classroom before she even entered it.

"How come? You usually come to school with Ichigo!" That was Tatsuki's voice, and wherever she was, Orihime most likely wasn't too far away.

Sure enough, all three were sitting by the windows. Tatsuki had an excited look on her face, while Orihime just looked worried. Mentally, Ichigo smiled. Orihime's hair wasn't the standard black either, but the shade of medium brown was still more common than Ichigo's orange.

"I stopped by her place this morning and there was a big hole in her house. Her dad said a truck plowed into it in the middle of the night."

Orihime gasped, but Tatsuki just looked more excited. "A truck!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "So!?!?! Is she hurt? Or maybe…..dead…."

"Alive," Ichigo responded, whacking the girl upside the head with her bag. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we all survived."

"Morning Ichigo!" Orihime sang, and Ichigo looked over at the flustered girl.

"You thought I was dead too, didn't you?" she accused. Orihime flushed, and ducked her head. Ichigo went to her new seat behind Mizuiro. She sighed. At least it was beside the window.

"You're here," Mizuiro said. "Weren't you fixing your house?"

"Yeah. What's third period."

"Contemporary events."

"That's Miss Ochi. Unless I fall asleep again, she won't ask annoying questions." She sat down, and rested her head on her arms.

"Son of a….Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?" Ichigo turned her head towards the voice….

….only to find herself staring at the dark haired soul reaper.

"Nice to meet you!" She chirped, and Ichigo just stared.

"This is Rukia Kuchiki. She started here yesterday. It's a pretty weird time to transfer, but her family had to move," Mizuiro explained. Ichigo rolled her eyes. She'd bet ten bucks he already had a slight crush on her. Although……Keigo probably thought she was his 'true love."

"Son of a…I don't have any textbooks yet. Is it okay if I share with you?" Ichigo could practically see the little 'sparkles of innocence' (Keigo's words, not hers) radiating off the other girl as she offered her hand.

**Make a scene and you are so dead. **The words were written on Rukia's hand. Ichigo gulped, but smiled anyways. "Sure! No problem!"

'What the hell is she doing here?' Ichigo's mind hissed.

'**No fair! This is ****your**** fault!'** Ichigo heard Rukia's voice in her mind as clearly as if she had spoken. She snuck a glance at the other girl, but Rukia was staring straight ahead.

'How the hell are you in my head?!' Ichigo demanded, but she kept a straight face, yawning habitually.

'**Shut up, I don't like it either. And obviously, you're in my head too. Not to mention, do you always swear this much? Because-"**

'Rukia! How?'

A slight scowl flitted across Rukia's face. Both blinked as Miss Ochi stormed in and began barking out the lesson. Rukia paused long enough so they could hear what they were working on, then sighed softly.

'**I don't know for sure, but I think it has something to do with me giving you my powers. We must have accidentally swapped a bit of your energy by accident. Shinigami aren't taught what happens when you give your spiritual energy to a human, just that it's illegal.'**

Ichigo sputtered, and began to choke. Everyone in the class turned to look as the orange-haired teen choked on thin air. Finally, she stopped, and with a pointed cough and a malicious glare, restarted the class.

'What?! Why did you do that if it was illegal?' she all but shouted, wincing slightly when Rukia did.

'**I didn't want to die either.'** Both were silent for a few moments. It was strange, not having any thoughts.

'So…what's a shinigami anyways?' Ichigo asked finally. She began to scribble down the notes being put on the blackboard, making sure to place the textbook between her and Rukia.

'**A god of death. Shinigami and soul reapers are the same thing.'** Rukia realized she didn't have a pen. Just as she was about to ask Ichigo, one was placed in front of her.

'So…you're a god?"

This time, it was Rukia who coughed, although only to hide her laugh. **'We have more powers than normal souls, sure, but we aren't gods. Some man called us that a few hundred years back and the name stuck. Which reminds me. Until I get my powers back, you have to do the work of a soul reaper.'**

'You lost your powers?'

'**You took them from me!!!!'**

'How?' Ichigo's remark was sarcastic, but she already knew.

'**Last night. Now I can only do a few demonic spells, and I have to rely on this gigai!'**

'Gigai?'

'**A temporary body that hides my spiritual pressure so hollows won't eat me while I have no powers.'**

Suddenly, a thought hit Ichigo. 'Hold on! Back up! I can't be a soul reaper! I won't!'

'**What's the problem? You'll have the powers of a soul reaper, and I'll help you-'**

'NO WAY!'

Ichigo could feel Rukia stumble. **'B-but yesterday!'**

'Yesterday I had to save my family,' Ichigo explained. 'I don't think I could do that for total strangers.'

'**You give me no choice then.'** The bell rang, signaling lunch. Both girls got to their feet as the rest of their class raced out. **'Follow me.'** Ichigo had to resist the urge to run away, far away, because the little shrimp would probably hunt her down and go all shinigami on her.

'**Ichigo, I can hear you.'**

'Oh, I know.'

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Once they were far enough away from the school, Rukia called for them to stop. Ichigo turned around, only to see the dark-haired girl pull on a strange, red, fingerless glove.

"What the heck is that?" Ichigo asked, partially curious.

"Do you think red is my color?" Rukia asked, taking a few steps closer, holding out her hand.

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't really think about things like-!"

Rukia's palm slammed forcefully into Ichigo's chest, knocking her back. She stumbled, but her soul split apart from her physical body, and one part landed on her butt while the other landed on her back.

'Rukia! What did you do to me? Is this my soul?' Rukia rolled her eyes at the panicking girl.

"Come! We have much to do before this 'lunch break' is over," Rukia informed her, walking away.

"I never agreed to be a soul reaper in the first place," Ichigo grumbled, but seeing as she didn't know how to get back inside her body, she followed Rukia.

The first few times they walked past people, Ichigo flinched, expecting to be laughed at, or have someone call the police.

But when no one even glanced at her, even when she did a few spins with her arms above her head, or a roundhouse kick two inches away from one fat business man's face, she relaxed.

Ichigo laughed, "This is amazing!" Rukia turned to watch her, amused. It had been a while since she had seen a soul reaper outside the 11TH division have so much fun. And the 11TH division was full of psychos, so they didn't count.

"What's the 11TH division?" Ichigo asked suddenly, and Rukia cringed. Her thoughts weren't as shielded as she thought.

"I'll explain it some other time. C'mon, we're almost there."

When Rukia finally announced that they were 'there', Ichigo wondered (under her breath, because it appeared Rukia couldn't hear that) if the girl had gone crazy. They were in a small park, and Rukia just kept glancing at her watch, and tapping her foot to the music coming from somewhere down the street.

"Why are we here?" Ichigo asked finally.

'**Are there any souls that come to this park?'**

"Yeah, one. A little boy, about this big," she held her hand out at her hip, but Rukia never looked.

'**A hollow is coming. It will probably attack the boy.'** Rukia scanned the park, trying to find either the boy, or the hollow.

"How do you know?" Ichigo scoffed.

The hollow's cry made her jump.

It was huge, spider-like, and chasing the dark-haired ghost boy towards them. Ichigo hopped over the fence and raced towards them. "Wait!" Rukia's shout surprised her, and Ichigo turned around.

The soul reaper's eyes were fierce. "You do not know him, Ichigo Kurosaki. Your thoughts screamed it." **'If you help him, you help them ****all.****'**

Ichigo glared. "No!"

"What?" Rukia gasped. For the second, no, third time in 24 hours, the girl had startled her.

"You heard me! I said no!" Ichigo was still facing her as she clutched the little boy to her, and chopped off the hollow's left front leg, and Rukia realized the orange-haired teen was using their connection to see in all directions.

"I'm not a scumbag! I know I owe you big time! But Rukia," Ichigo paused, turning back to the hollow. 'I won't go to war.' Her zanpakuto slammed into the hollow's mask, and the little boy looked at Ichigo in awe. She knelt down so she was face to face with him.

"Have fun on the other side," she whispered, eyes dancing like it was the best place in the world, and for a moment Rukia almost felt jealous. The boy nodded eagerly, and Ichigo stamped his forehead with the hilt of her sword. Rukia found herself marveling at the ease the girl seemed to have with it.

Ichigo sighed, and stood up, sheathing her zanpakuto. "Duty is no reason to sacrifice yourself, Rukia. Don't forget it." She watched the other girl for a moment before walking away.

Rukia couldn't help but wonder what she had done wrong.

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A/N: You guys owe skepsis66 a lot. I was having a little trouble forcing myself to update, and then I checked my inbox and it said there was a review! It made my day!

A lot to cover in the next chapter. I plan to cover the Orihime/Chad incidents in the next 2, because all the fun starts in the Soul Society!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Because Ichigo hears so many voices in her head:

'**words'**- Rukia

'words'- Ichigo

_words_- dreams

'_words'_- Hichigo/Zangetsu

Disclaimer: okay, so I keep forgetting to put this. Basically, _**anything**_ you recognize is not mine.

Chapter 4

"Aw…Mother…maybe it's because they've hit puberty, but our daughters treat me like dirt…What should I do?" – Isshin Kurosaki, Bleach, Chapter one

Ichigo sighed, leaning back in the grass. It was after school, but after Rukia had helped her climb back into her body, nothing exciting happened. Well, unless kicking Keigo counted.

'**It doesn't.'**

See?

She yawned slightly, concentrating on shielding her thoughts. They were hers, small and insignificant, and surrounded by layers of brick. Only Ichigo could get at them, only her…

Rukia sighed. The dark haired girl sat a few steps away on a swing, playing with the sand at her feet. "It's not working," she muttered, slowly rocking back and forth.

The park had been Ichigo's favorite as a child, but no one went there anymore. Truthfully, it was the perfect place for strange talk, like _hollows_ and _zanpakuto_ and _soul reapers._

"Okay. Not too much longer though, Rukia. Goat-Face'll beat me up if I get home too late." The girl yawned again. Rukia smirked.

"Long night, Ichi-go?" she teased. "You should know better than to stay up late on a school night."

Ichigo frowned at the other girl. "One, if you and your stupid hollow hadn't shown up, I wouldn't be yawning!"

"Two, we had strange dreams last night," Rukia imitated, pulling nearly all of the words directly from Ichigo's mind. The orange-haired girl smirked, then frowned.

"Wait! We?" An image of the second person she had beheaded appeared, uncalled, in her mind, although he looked more emotion-less than he had in her dream the night before. "Who is he, Ru?" Ichigo demanded. She shrugged.

"Most likely someone from the Seireitei. I don't know everyone, Ichigo, and you have dreamt of others before." Rukia looked away, and Ichigo could tell the discussion was officially off-limits.

'Orihime wanted you to come to her study session tonight," the orange-haired teen thought, gallantly switching subjects.

Rukia smiled. "Sure! Which one is Orihime again?"

Ichigo rolled her eyes, "Brown hair, most obvious in the class except for me and Chad?"

Rukia thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Oh! You mean the one like Rangiku-chan!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Rangiku-chan?" Rukia smirked, and began swinging higher.

"You know," she giggled. "Big boobs." Ichigo stared at the other girl in shock. Rukia's giggles were nearly contagious, and she found herself wanting to laugh along with her.

"Come on," she said," rolling her eyes for effect. "We're going to be late." She hopped to her feet, stretching backwards. Rukia let go of her swing, landing softly by the orange-haired teen.

'**Race you,'** she challenged, and both took off running.

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Orihime Inoue wasn't blind. Hopelessly happy and extremely sweet, yes, but not blind. Something was going on between Ichigo and Rukia, something that caused them to glow funny during class, and be closer to each other than was usually possible in a day. And so, Orihime's mind connected the obvious dots.

"Rukia's an alien!" she gasped out to Tatsuki, and her teddy bear, Enraku.

Tatsuki giggled. By now she was used to Orihime's logic. "How do you know it isn't Ichigo?"

Orihime smiled proudly. "We've known her too long." She stirred the rice on the stove, making sure none of the grains were burning on the bottom. Tatsuki insisted on making supper on their study nights, although Orihime had no idea why. Usually they would eat and gossip and Ichigo would tell them what the boys were discussing (although for a price). The strawberry loved Tatsuki's brownies. Most days, Michiru, Mahana, Chizuru, and Ryo came too, but tonight was the new girl's initiation.

"Hey, wait!" Orihime spun to face her friend. "You see the blue glowy-ness too?"

"I know everyone else said they couldn't, but they must be blind. Those two weren't really paying attention either. Ichigo was taking notes!" Tatsuki dug in the fridge as she ranted.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the girls in question burst through, tripping over each other and landing at Orihime's feet, who had gone to answer the door.

"Sorry we're late!" Ichigo exclaimed, jumping up to close the door. "I think it's going to rain!"

"H-Hi Orihime, Tatsuki," Rukia murmured, also climbing to her feet. Orihime smiled at her.

"Nice to see you Rukia. Supper is almost…"

"READY!" Tatsuki shouted, and Ichigo brightened.

"Tatsuki! Where are my brownies!" she yelled, moving into the apartment. Rukia and Orihime followed close behind.

"Shh! I don't want to get kicked out of my apartment," Orihime begged.

Supper was really good, because Tatsuki could make something for everyone and still have enough for a meal. Ichigo gobbled down her food, as if she was trying to finish before receiving a kick in the face. Orihime and Tatsuki ate much slower, and neater, but compared to Rukia they were sloppy. The dark-haired girl had the manners of a princess.

Orihime had barely finished her meal, when suddenly Rukia's cell phone rang. She watched with interest as her two guests began to glow that faint blue again, and Ichigo leapt to her feet.

"Go away you hollow scum!" the fiery teen yelled, and Orihime and Tatsuki exchanged glances. And they said Orihime was weird.

An echoing _thump_ came from behind her, and Orihime spun around. Enraku lay on the floor, and the girl rushed to pick him up. Rukia's hand brushed her elbow as she tried to pull her back. "Orihime, no!"

Orihime scooped up the teddy bear, examining him carefully. There was a rip above her eye that hadn't been there before, and she poked at the edges of the tear, wondering how hard it would be to fix. She'd had Enraku forever… or at least as long as she could remember.

The sudden, sharp pain in her stomach made her double over, then gasp in shock. There was an arm, coming from Enraku's body and through her skin. _"It….hurts….Tatsuki…_" she choked out, before everything went dark.

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"Orihime!" The cry was raw, and it ripped from their throats like thunder. Honestly, neither of them had thought she could die. In the corner of her eye, Ichigo saw Tatsuki fall to her knees. The girl looked torn, between scrambling back against the wall and racing to her friend's side. Ichigo spun around, and Rukia was ready, standing with the glove on and raised by her head. Once more, that feeling of loss hit her, and her physical body slammed to the ground.

"I-Ichigo?" Tatsuki stuttered, and Ichigo instantly felt sorry for her.

"Rukia, get her out of here!" she yelled, ripping her sword off her back. The blade swung towards the hollow, aiming straight for his mask. The hollow danced back, and she screamed her fury. How dare he kill Orihime! She swung the zanpakuto again and again, until it jammed into his mask.

"To shallow..," Rukia muttered, and Ichigo jumped. She hadn't even realized the girl was back in the room. Sure enough, a piece of the mask popped off, landing at Orihime's feet before disintegrating.

"W-Wait! Y-You're..." Ichigo stammered, and the hollow roared his defiance, before moving back through a portal. The replacement shinigami whirled to face Rukia. "That was Orihime's brother!" she hissed.

The dark-haired girl refused to meet her eyes. "All hollows….were once normal people…"

Ichigo was startled. "I thought they were **monsters**! You said I had to kill them!"

Rukia ran a hand through her hair, sighing, but still managed to glare at Ichigo. "They **are** monsters now, and we **must** kill them. We don't have time for this! He's going to come back for..."

"I-Ichigo?" The voice was quiet, and it echoed throughout the room. "Why are you dressed funny? And where did you get that sword." The orange-haired teen spun towards the voice, only to see Orihime, sitting up and unharmed.

"Orihime! Are you all right?" She demanded. Orihime nodded, and Ichigo sighed in relief. If Orihime was okay, that meant Tatsuki wouldn't kill her. Then, she realized something.

"Wait…how can you see me?" she wondered aloud, and Orihime looked confused.

'**She's dead, Ichigo,'** Rukia explained, and Ichigo took a step back in shock. "It's okay though, it's not too late to save her. The chain of fate is still attached."

Ichigo blinked, "I'm confused."

"That's okay, I understand!" Orihime exclaimed. Both girls turned to her.

"You do?"

Orihime nodded. "I'm dreaming! Does that mean I can fly?"

Rukia's cell phone beeped again, and Ichigo grabbed her sword, while Rukia tried to convince Orihime that she wasn't dreaming. For once in her life, Ichigo felt patient, knowing that the hollow would come to her this time. Orihime's brother or not, she had to protect her friends, and she would do whatever it took.

The hollow's cry didn't startle her, but Orihime cried out, and even Rukia flinched.

"Kurosaki!" The shout came from beside her, and Ichigo turned Just in time to stop Orihime's brother from taking a huge bite out of her left side.

"Sora?" Orihime gasped, and Ichigo sighed. Keeping her friends safe had just become _that_ much harder.

Orihime's brother ignored her. "Kurosaki!" he shouted. "Stay out of this! Orihime is mine!" Ichigo yelped as his arm collided with her stomach, sending her flying out the window. To her surprise, she stayed in the air, standing on something as solid as the ground. She grinned triumphantly at the monster, but it still took her a second to realize that he had spit something at her, and she yelped in pain as the acid hit her hand. The zanpakuto fell from her fingers, and with it went all of her abilities to float. Ichigo hit the ground with a loud _thump!_ and she sat up with a groan, placing her hand on her head. Her eyes were firmly shut, and she felt thoroughly sore.

In her mind, she could see Orihime trapped in her brother's hands. Her friend took a bite of Sora's knuckle, and she kicked at him. He swiped at her, sending her flying out the window, and into Ichigo's lap. Ichigo grunted, and opened her eyes. Rukia grinned at her sheepishly.

They were surprised to find that even from the ground, they could still hear Sora and Orihime talking. "As you got older, you started talking about _Tatsuki_ and _Ichigo_!" the hollow spat, and Ichigo leapt to her feet. She knew, instinctually or otherwise, what would happen next. "And then, you stopped praying for me altogether." The orange-haired teen spun wildly, searching for her sword. It lay in the dirt, not far from where she stood. In one wild leap, she was beside it, reaching for the handle.

'_Not…….yours…'_ the cry was weak, and Ichigo ignored it. She grabbed the blade, and leapt for the window.

"It made me so angry," the hollow crooned. "I just wanted to…_**kill**_!" He turned to face her, swinging his tail. It collided with her neck, pinning her against the wall.

Orihime was in his hands before she even had a chance to blink. "Come with me, Orihime. Back to when it was just the two of us," Sora begged, the half-whisper broken and pleading.

From where she was, Ichigo could see the tears rolling down Orihime's cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me you were lonely? Why did you hurt Ichigo and Rukia? The brother I knew…."

The hollow's scream ripped through her words. "How do you think I became like this! You made me this way! I'll kill you! KILL YOU!"

She had heard enough. Ichigo broke free, and cut Orihime loose, chopping off his hand to do so. The look in her eyes was murderous as she stood between the girl and her brother. "Do you know why older siblings come first?" She aimed her sword at his face, although they were far enough apart that if she actually meant to hit him, he could probably dodge. "To protect the little ones who come after them! What kind of brother says he'll kill his own sister! Even a **monster** shouldn't say that!"

'**Nii-sama**,' she heard Rukia think, but she ignored it for the moment. She would ask her if she was okay after.

"Why?! Why do you stand in my way, Ichigo Kurosaki?!?!" Sora shrieked. "I was fifteen when my sister was born. She was more like a daughter than a sister to me. Our parents were truer monsters than I am now, the kind who would silence a baby's cries with beatings. I hid her, quieted her cries where they wouldn't hear. When I turned eighteen, I took my little sister, and fled that cursed house. It was the two of us against the world! I raised and protected her! Orihime is mine! Nobody else can have her! Least of all you, Ichigo Kurosaki!! You will never," he paused, tearing his eyes away from his little sister, "HAVE HER!!!"

Ichigo growled, "As if, Captain Overbite! Orihime is her own person!"Her sword dug into his jaw, although not deep enough to do any damage. They glared at each other, and that was when Ichigo noticed the blood dripping into her right eye. Oh well. She could only hope it made her glare more menacing.

"She's **mine**! Her soul is mine! I lived for her, but she will not live for me!!! So then…she shall die for me!!!" He twisted, knocking Ichigo back several feet, before lunging at Orihime. As if she was in a play and following her cue, the younger Inoue rose to meet him. Ichigo screamed as she watched the hollow's teeth sink into her friend.

"Orihime! No!"

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She…hurt….

No, hurt didn't even begin to cover it, but it would have to do. Orihime could feel teeth against bone and inside flesh, tearing her shoulder and ribs.

And yet, Sora was in pain too, and that seemed ten times as important as her own agony. Slowly, her arms drifted up to rest behind her brother's head, embracing him gently. Orihime could hear Ichigo gasp her name, while Sora repeated it like a mantra, somehow managing it without moving his mouth.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to share them….fun things at school…..the happy stuff. Things I liked……_people_ I liked." She felt his grip tighten, then let her go. But her arms never moved, she had to help him. "All I did was pray every day, but I didn't want you to see my sadness, or feel my pain. So I hid it from you!" Tears blurred her vision, and she sniffled slightly. "I only shared my happiness with you, so you wouldn't suffer for me. I had no idea it made you feel lonely."

She was so tired. The hurt was getting increasingly worse, and it was all she could do to make herself land on her knees as she fell. "Sora, I'm sorry.

"I…love..you."

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"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted, resisting the urge to run to her friend. '_Why does this always happen to me?'_

'**I told you already, it's not too late!'** "I can use my kido to save her," Rukia exclaimed. She shoved the hollow aside, and Ichigo had to bite back the laughter that suddenly filled her. Really, it wasn't that funny, but the combination of the left-over adrenaline and watching the midget, she couldn't help but giggle. Rukia's death glare was enough to make her shut up, but her body still shook with the suppressed glee.

"I'm so sorry sister. I knew…that you didn't want to worry me, but I didn't want you to stop. When you were praying, your heart was all mine…"

Ichigo sighed. And people said she was pig-headed and blind. "What are you looking at! The first gift you gave her was those hairpins, and she still wears them every day.

"All of them, those who die and the ones that get left behind, feel alone. You forgot that she lost you too."

Sora seemed puzzled for a moment, then he shuffled over to Ichigo. The orange-haired teen panicked slightly when his good hand grabbed the sharp end of her weapon, but nothing prepared her for the moment where he used the blade to remove his mask.

"Why did you do it?" she gasped.

Sora smiled. "It's alright. If I stay as I am, I'll lose myself, and attack Orihime. I just want to pass on."

Ichigo nearly objected, but Rukia stopped her," his decision is right. Hollows can never go back, but they can go forward. Reaping hollows merely frees them of sin. The zanpakuto cleanses them so they can enter the Soul Society."

"_Sora,"_ Orihime gasped, and everyone turned to her. "I've always wanted to tell you this. We had a fight that day, and I sat in the corner all night. When you left in the morning, I didn't say anything. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference, but……Have a nice day, big brother."

Tears filled Ichigo's eyes, and she blinked them back. When her vision cleared, she realized that Sora was gone, leaving Orihime and her friends behind. '_When did I become such a sap?'_ she thought, ignoring Rukia's mental giggling.

"Your wounds….they're better (mostly)."

Orihime jumped, seeming to remember that it was only her brother that disappeared. "They don't matter," she explained truthfully. "I have tons of questions I want to ask.."

Rukia shoved a lighter in her face, and Orihime blinked at it, confused. It exploded, and she fell back, unconscious. '_Wha….what did you do?'_

'**Kioku memory replacement. I erased tonight from her memories and gave her substitute ones. No one can know about us. Only…..we can't choose the new memories, and they are quite random. I used this on your family the other night. I'll get Tatsuki too, just in case.'**

'_Random?'_

'**You'll see tomorrow.'**

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Orihime woke up with a searing headache in her left temple. She'd been having the strangest dream, although she didn't really remember it. All she knew was she had to go pray for Sora again, she'd been skipping recently.

A quick glance around let her remember everything. Tatsuki lay passed out on the ground, and a giant hole was torn through her wall.

"TATSUKI!!! WAKE UP!!! A YAKUZU GUNMAN BROKE MY WALL AGAIN!!!"

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A/N: Uh…hi. Please don't kill me for being so late with this! You'll never learn what happens!

So, have I mentioned how much I love you guys? Even though I wasn't updating in a while, I still had a whole bunch of you favorite this, or ask for update notifications, and I want to thank each and every one of you personally but there are over 75 of you, so I'll just say THANK YOU!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

And now, my last bit before I go post this. I didn't realize that it would be polite to respond to reviews, so I'm going to so that here for the ones that were up already, then I'll respond to you personally if anyone reviews again!!!

skepsis66 - yes, as soon as this chapter is over, cannon is out the window :D I just need this one so the plotline doesn't seem as random. I mean, I guess the next one is a bit close, but I love the next character introduced, seeing as I get to play around with another character that I made swap genders.

Shimmer712- that's really sweet! Thank you!!

Deviate Fish – Isn't that a bit sexist? Anyways, imagine femIchi however you want, just don't be angry if my story contradicts your image later!

Aceina – So much for the quick update, but I'll try harder for the next one! I'm not telling the pairing just yet, although there is a hint in the last chapter. I want it to be a surprise, so all my readers will do a "LE GASP!" and send me a gazillion messages. If you think you've figured it out, let me know!

kylemoor – Thanks a lot! I kind of wish that the mental connection was in the original, but it would be kind of gross because Ichigo is a guy. But it helps make mine more original, no?

Koorika – Like I told Aceina, I'm not spilling the Ichigo pairing beans just yet. However, I'll give you a hint. You MIGHT have gotten it right :P

Naru


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Because Ichigo hears so many voices in her head:

'**words'**- Rukia

'words'- Ichigo

_words _- dreams

'_words'_- Hichigo/Zangetsu

'_**words**_' – can't tell yet, but it will be revealed by the end of the next chapter.

Chapter 5

"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman." – Virginia Woolf.

"No, I'm serious! A yakuzu gunman totally blew down my wall!"

"Whatever, space girl!"

"Your mind is so cute, princess."

"No, really! You saw it too, right Tatsuki? Ichigo and Rukia were there too!"

Ichigo sighed. She never _really_ would be able to catch up on her sleep, would she? Things were going downhill now that she had agreed to help Rukia. They had been up until past twelve the night before, and Rukia had fallen asleep. Ichigo had carried her home (and to her bed in the closet. Really, what did Rukia think she was hiding?), praying the entire way that no one would look out their window. Just when she had been about to call it a night, the pager went off again. Rukia hadn't even stirred, instead projecting images of the dark haired man and a red-headed teen, as well as a strawberry-blonde woman hugging a silver haired boy to her rather large chest,

And so, Ichigo had gone to fight the hollow on her own, glad that she got some privacy for once. Rukia had only been around for a few days, and already the girl felt closer to her than her own family.

"Ichigo! You saw him, right?" Orihime begged. The orange haired girl sighed. To her, it was obvious she spent too much time with someone when she could hear their puppy dog eyes in their voice.

"Yeah, I did," she lied into her arms. The bell rang, and Ichigo sat up, stretching until her joints gave a satisfying pop. It was all about keeping up pretenses, and if Tatsuki and Orihime thought that she and Rukia had seen the mafia in the place of a hollow, well, that was fine by her.

'**That's the spirit!!!**'

'Where are you anyways? School's started.'

'**Slept in,**' Rukia admitted sheepishly, but Ichigo caught a glimpse of a red-headed boy using a broom like a baseball bat, and a cute dark haired girl whose hair reminded Ichigo of a cockroach. They had no neighbors like that, so Rukia must be lying. Together, they put up a block (something that turned out to be near impossible alone, but way to easy together) and left it at that. Rukia had her secrets (like the dark haired man and squad 11) and Ichigo had a few of her own (like it was her who put the spider in Isshin's bed when she was 11, not six year old Karin), and most of them, she wasn't willing to share anytime soon.

* * *

It took all of Rukia's strength to haul the boy away from where he was pulling Ururu's hair.

(Now, if she could only remember the red head's name………..but it wasn't her fault! Ururu was just so cute!)

"Hey, brat! Is the manager in?" The boy nodded nervously, not wanting to get in trouble with her or Tessai. The last time she had been there, she had set his pants on fire with a 'misplaced' kido. He rushed inside, Ururu right on his tail. Rukia followed at a more composed pace.

"Jinta, it's not time to open up just yet." Tessai's voice was softer than she remembered, and internally, she grinned. Even though the man was a freaking giant, it had obviously been longer than she had thought that she had been here last.

"Don't blame me, she made me!" Jinta whined, jerking his thumb back towards Rukia.

"Ah! Miss Rukia! So good to see you. One minute, I'll go wake the manager." Tessai bowed, making her lips twitch upwards. She had almost forgotten how polite the mustached man was.

A loud yawn echoed throughout the store, and sure enough, Kisuke Urahara stepped into view. Rukia had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, She _had_ forgotten how stupid that white and green hat looked on his amazingly blonde hair. "No need, I'm up." He yawned again, and Rukia rolled her eyes. '**Stupid shopkeeper.**_**'**_

"Morning Tessai, Ururu, Jinta. Welcome, Miss Kuchiki. How may I help you today?"

* * *

Ichigo was waiting outside the school. It was nearly lunch, and the other girl still hadn't shown up. She glanced at her watch impatiently. She had a bad feeling about today, and the last time she had a bad feeling, she had become a soul reaper.

"IIIIICCCCCHHHHIIIIIGGGOOOOO!!!!" She heard the yell before she saw the person, and was able to use that alone to smack Keigo down. She sighed. So much for cornering Rukia alone. Unless…….

"Keigo! You should go buy me a sandwich!" she exclaimed, praying this would work. Keigo looked a little pouty, but she just gave him her most innocent look. "Please?"

Keigo gulped, all the blood rushing to his face in an easily seen blush. Stammering, he nodded, and dragged Mizuiro away. Chad gave her a look. "Are you okay, Strawberry?"

Ichigo let her face split into a shit-eating grin. "Of course! I'm just worried about Rukia, that's all. We didn't recognize each other before, but we go way back." It was kind of scary. Her lying skills had improved dramatically since Rukia had appeared in her bedroom, and that hadn't even been a week ago. Chad took a moment to study her face, then nodded, walking away.

Ichigo sighed, running a hand through her hair. It was getting longer now, she noted, grabbing a piece of her bangs and pulling it down in front of her nose as far as it would go.

'_**Not yours!**_' the whisper was harsh in her mind, and Ichigo spun around.

"Rukia?" she called hopefully.

"I can assure you, Miss Kurosaki, that I am not your soul reaper friend." She turned to face this new voice, and was surprised to see a human looking at her. He was slightly shorter than her, but his hair was longer, and he wore glasses, skillfully moving his head so the light reflected off of them, hiding one of his eyes. 'If I look like a boy, he looks like a girl,' Ichigo snickered.

"Who are you?" She shouted, pointing wildly at him. He looked like a pansy, so she wanted to make him mad. It was always fun to 'protect herself' from the ones who couldn't hit to save their lives.

"Uryu Ishida, Quincy and sworn enemy to all soul reapers. I just thought it would be polite to warn you. You see, I know what you are. I knew the moment you changed from simply having high spiritual pressure to being a soul reaper. I knew from the moment I first met you that you were not norma-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Ichigo cried, interrupting him as she threw her arms across her body in a giant 'x'. "Look, stalker-guy, it's not like I don't appreciate it or anything…"

What's-his-face sighed, glaring at her a bit. "You aren't getting this at all, are you?" He bent his head slightly, and suddenly, hundreds of white ribbons soared around his head, fluttering in a non-existent breeze. Ichigo stared, captivated. 'Oooh, pretty,' she sighed, resisting the very feminine urge to go dance and play with them.

"Reiraku. Spirit ribbons. A good soul reaper can see them right away. Skilled soul reapers can even touch them. Did you even know that soul reapers' ribbons were red?!" He exclaimed, reaching out behind her and grabbing hers like it was a solid object. He was right, she noted angrily. The ribbon was fire truck red, and if everyone was able to see them, she would be found out right away.

Ichigo snorted. "Jackass. Don't assume things." It took all of her concentration, but she managed to grab his from behind him. Without even looking at him, she threw it back in his face. "What ever made you think I couldn't see them too?"

Uryu (oh yeah! That's what it was) glared at her, "Because you would have noticed my spiritual pressure before now if you had. You just got lucky." He jumped back as Ichigo took a swing at him, missing his nose by a breath.

"There is no such thing as luck! You should be happy that I can't get out of my body without Rukia, or you'd be in pieces, you f-" The bell rang, cutting off her next words, and Uryu turned and walked away.

"Where are you going, you jerk?! I'm not finished with you!" she yelled. He turned back to face her.

"Do you think I'm stupid? For one, everyone will be able to watch us now, and I don't want that reputation. And two, Rukia is coming, following your spiritual pressure. It has spiked now that you are angry, and I do believe you need both of you to tear down that block."

Ichigo stared after him in shock. 'How the hell did he know?'

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted. "What was that all about?"

'He's a Quincy, or something. He knew a lot, including that we're connected mentally.'

Rukia stumbled. '**What?!?!**'

Ichigo nodded. 'I wanted to kick his butt, but I had no way to attack him, except for my fists, and he probably had a way to attack me other than that.' Quietly, she showed Rukia exactly what had happened. Rukia turned deathly pale.

"Here. You're going to need this." She tossed Ichigo a candy dispenser.

"Umm…Ru-"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Just eat it!" She exclaimed, stomping her foot. Really, Ichigo could be such a baby sometimes.

'Yes, because you're _so_ mature yourself.'

'**Oh shut up.**'

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo popped the candy into her mouth. Immediately, she felt her body split from her soul, and while she managed to remain standing, her body slumped against the wall. Then, it stood up, and Ichigo watched in horror and amazement as it opened it's mouth.

"God, that hurt! I'd appreciate a little warning next time!" Her body announced, and Rukia grinned.

"It's a gikongan! It puts an artificial soul into your body so that no one knows that you're gone, and you can use it without me there!"

"I'll go to lunch for you then, master? Give you some time to lose that absolutely shocked look on your face?" The gikongan teased, and Ichigo's jaw dropped.

"That…that's just _weird_!" She exclaimed. "And _Ruuuukkkiiiiaaaaa_, **I** want to go to lunch!"

Rukia rolled her eyes, before slamming her fist into Ichigo's body. It took her a second to realize that the glove was on her hand, but by that time, the pill was back into its dispenser, and Rukia was shoving her back into her body. Once she was back inside, they bought their lunches and headed up to the roof, where it was quiet.

"Ichigo?" Rukia's voice was quiet, and it made the other girl look up sharply. 'What is it?' "How do you use this?" Rukia held up her juice box, and Ichigo laughed, relieved as she sent Rukia a mental image.

"Whoa, you two are together again. Chad must have been telling the truth. You really did know each other before." Mizuiro blinked, letting Ichigo know of his presence.

"Duh. Besides, aren't girls supposed to travel in groups?" Ichigo glared at him, daring him to say that she didn't count as a girl, like Keigo had back before they were all good friends.

"Nice to see you here, Rukia! Do you remember who I am?" He avoided her question skillfully.

"Mizuiro," Rukia smirked. It wasn't that hard, really. All she had to do was listen to Ichigo's thoughts.

"Good job! I'm surprised you remembered. I'm fifteen, and my hobbies are-"

"Picking up chicks. Watch out Rukia." Ichigo interrupted, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Mizuiro pouted. "That's no fair! I only like older women! I'm harmless to girls my own age!"

'Like I said, watch out.' Rukia smothered a giggle as she watched the two argue. Ichigo was better than she was at carrying out two conversations. It was almost like the girl had tones of practice, but that was impossible. How would she have ever gotten practice like that? [1]

"Miss Kuchiki! You're looking lovely today! I am Keigo Asano, welcome to this garden of manliness." Rukia spit out her juice, then stared up at Ichigo's other friend. '**Geez, you sure meet some weird ones.**'

Ichigo turned to see what Rukia was talking about, and frowned. "Keigo, for Pete's sake! Leave the poor girl alone! Or at least, wait until after! No one wants you flirting with them while they're trying to eat!"

"Be quiet, Ichigo! I'm sure Rukia doesn't mi-"

'Hmm, a lot of people are being interrupted today,' Ichigo thought as Keigo was kicked in the back, causing him to fall over into Mizuiro's food. "Hey!" the boy shouted. "What do you think you're do- I mean, uh, Ooshima!"

The orange haired male ignored him, choosing instead to glare at Ichigo. "Oi! Kurosaki! When are you going to stop dying that carrot piss hair and make it black! I'm sick and tired of you copying me!"

Ichigo sighed, and Rukia got the distinct impression that this wasn't the first time this had happened. "I told you, this is my natural hair color! If anything, you should stop dying yours! Since I'm the only one in our school with this hair color _naturally_, that would make you a drag queen, along with a chicken. So just fly away, okay Mr. Chicken Head?"

The boy stuttered, making Rukia think that he wasn't very smart. "C-chicken! That's It, Kurosaki! Today is the day I finally kick yur ass!"

Ichigo sighed. "Well, I'd feel more inclined to believe you if it weren't for a few _itty bitty wee insignificant tiny details_. Once, I've beat you up before, and two, you should really have checked behind you before you started picking on me."

Ooshima laughed. "Right Kurosaki. It's too late to apoloqiz-" And then, he was flying, pain shooting up his hip in a brilliant punch that would no doubt result in colorful bruising. He landed in a heap on the other side of the roof, causing his goons to scream and take off, as a certain gang had a few days ago. Ichigo grinned up at her attacker's attacker as the others stared in shock.

"Thanks Chad!" She exclaimed, taking another bite out of her lunch. "I was worried I was going to have to beat him up myself!"

"Hn," replied the Mexican, and Rukia stared at both of them in disbelief. In a way, they kind of reminded her of Zaraki-taicho and Yachiru-fukutaicho, but that just made no sense. She blinked as Chad set down a birdcage, careful not to jostle the parakeet inside.

She could feel Ichigo react, and forced her senses to pick up what the other girl was. Yep, there was defiantly a soul in the bird, but it was no big deal, and defiantly not a hollow, and she calmly informed Ichigo of the fact.

'Well, okay, if you insist. It's still creepy though,' Ichigo thought.

'**I know. My first possession konso freaked me right out.**' They watched silently as the bird began to converse perfectly with Keigo, even cracking a few jokes.

'Hey, have you ever heard of a Quincy?' Rukia glanced startled at Ichigo, but the girl wore a mask of surprised delight, most likely to disguise how she really felt about the bird.

'**I may have heard the name mentioned once or twice**,' Rukia allowed, placing her head in her hand as she rested her elbow on her knee. '**Why?**'

'The creepy guy said he was one.'

'**Creepy guy?**'

'Uryu Ishima? Ishada? Something like that.'

Rukia rolled her eyes. '**Figures. You would probably forget your own head if it wasn't attached to you.**'

"ICHIGO!" Finally, Keigo's yelling snapped her back to attention. Noticing just _how_ close he was to her face, she punched him, easily giving him what would probably end up being a black eye. "The bell rang," the boy mumbled childishly, before racing after Chad and Mizuiro.

Ichigo stood up, brushing her pants off. "Well? Are you coming?" she asked Rukia. They jumped when her cell phone went off. Both sighed. Ichigo pulled out the PEZ dispenser, popping the soul candy into her mouth. The second she was out of her body, she was running, Rukia at her side. "BE GOOD! AND GO TO CLASS!!!!" she yelled back to, well, herself.

"Yes Master!" It chirped back, and Ichigo couldn't help but think that this was a bad idea.

* * *

"Damn it! Where did it go?" she complained, reaching out for the pull of the hollow's spiritual pressure. There was nothing, and Rukia sighed, "Must have been a fluke." The phone rang again, and they took off running.

Once again, there was no sign of the hollow, just a quivering ghost in an alleyway that could give her no useful information. She lifted her sword, jamming the hilt into his forehead even as he complained about how cold and lonely and scary it was here.

"Rukia, your phone is evil."

'**Shut it! This is top of the line!**' But even Rukia looked mad at the thing.

"That may be my fault." The familiar voice echoed from closer to the road. Ichigo spun, glaring.

"OI! PRETTY BOY! I demand a rematch!" She growled out.

"Fine by me, but only if you leave your side-kick at home," Uryu countered. At Ichigo's nod, Rukia brushed past the Quincy, going to find Ichigo's body.

Uryu smirked. "Just you wait until you see the damage your mod has done. You're going to regret ever doing anything bad in your life."

Ichigo grinned, pulling her zanpakuto off her back. "Quit trying to distract me and just fight, you loser!" She lunged at him, ready to fight, but a simple wave of his hand stopped her advances.

"Well, you see, we won't actually be able to attack _each other_," Uyru mused, almost happily, and Ichigo glared as if to say, _Get on with it you bloody bastard_. "My attacks are long ranged, while yours are short ranged. I propose a contest instead. Whoever can destroy the most hollows, wins."

"Well that's sort of stupid and pointless."

"I don't think you understand, Kurosaki." He pulled something out of his pocket, and once again, Ichigo's mind popped to the first perverted thought that could it could possibly conjure. "This is hollow bait. It will attract them here so that we can destroy them."

'Uhh, is that a good thing or a bad thing?' "Are you sure about this?" She asked, not meaning to sound afraid.

Uryu shrugged. "Too late to ponder that now." And with that, he snapped the bait in two.

* * *

Rukia could not find Ichigo's body. Anywhere. And that was not a good sign. After all, the gikongan could be anywhere! She'd seen firsthand what some of the replacement souls could be like (after all, the third seat of the 11th division had a _cat_, for pete's sakes.

"Rukia! RUUUUUUKKKIIIAAAA!" Ichigo's voice sounded from behind her.

"Ichigo?" To her surprise, Ichigo's physical body slid up beside her. "Did you beat him already? And where was your body?"

Ichigo shrugged. "It was wandering around in the shopping centers. Apparently, it loves the Beatles. And of course I beat him! Shrimpy was a weakling!"

'**Shrimpy?**' Rukia questioned, but the block was still up, and Ichigo never heard her.

Suddenly, the orange-haired girl froze. "Chad," she breathed. Suddenly, she had a hold on Rukia's wrist, and was running so fast, she was practically flying. "Sorry, nee-chan," 'Ichigo' yelled. "We have to help him."

* * *

[1] A joke on how nowadays people spend so much time on msn and texting.

A/N: and that's the end of chapter five, people! Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but it had hit 3248 words and I figured that was a bit too long.

And I am so sorry this took me so long to get out! But, as a bonus, Merry Christmas? Or whatever religion you celebrate: this is a seasonal present.

(Have I ever mentioned that comments make me write more? Honestly, they do.)

Oh! And can anyone figure out what is going on? It's kind of obvious, at least I think so. Especially if you watch the anime in Japanese.

Also! There is a poll on my profile relating to Strawberry Princess. Check it out!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Because Ichigo hears so many voices in her head:

'**words'**- Rukia

'words'- Ichigo

_words _- dreams

'_words'_- Hichigo/Zangetsu

'_**words**_' – can't tell yet, but it will be revealed by the end of this 'arc'.

Chapter 6

Just so you know, you sound like a fortune cookie – Aaron Hodgener, _Criminal Minds_

_Last time on __**Strawberry Princess **__(I always wanted to say that!!!)_

_He pulled something out of his pocket, and once again, Ichigo's mind popped to the first perverted thought that could it could possibly conjure. "This is hollow bait. It will attract them here so that we can destroy them."_

'_Uhhh, is that a good thing or a bad thing?' "Are you sure about this?" She asked, not meaning to sound afraid._

_Uryu shrugged. "Too late to ponder that now." And with that, he snapped the bait in two.

* * *

_

_Rukia could not find Ichigo's body. Anywhere. And that was not a good sign. After all, the gikongan could be anywhere! She'd seen firsthand what some of the replacement souls could be like (after all, the second seat of the 6__th__ division had a cat, for Pete's sakes.)_

"_Rukia! RUUUUUUKKKIIIIIIIAAAA!" Ichigo's voice sounded from behind her._

"_Ichigo?" To her surprise, Ichigo's physical body slid up beside her. "Did you beat him already? And where was your body?"_

_Ichigo shrugged. "It was wandering around in the shopping centers. Apparently, it loves the Beatles. And of course I beat him! Shrimpy was a weakling!"_

'_**Shrimpy?**__' Rukia questioned, but the block was still up, and Ichigo never heard her._

_Suddenly, the orange-haired girl froze. "Chad," she breathed. Suddenly, she had a hold on Rukia's wrist, and was running so fast, she was practically flying. "Sorry, nee-chan," 'Ichigo' yelled. "We have to help him."

* * *

_

Ichigo Kurosaki was not in her body, but only three people in the world knew this. One was Ichigo herself. She was too busy chopping up hollows like nobody's business. Another was Uryu Ishida, but the shinigami substitute was one of his enemies, so he couldn't be bothered to warn her.

And the other? She was a mod soul, and she was the one in charge of it now.

* * *

The mod skid to a stop in front of Chad. He was Ichigo's friend, she knew that, but with her abilities, it made her feel as close to the giant as if she was his friend.

Unfortunately, he took one look at her and Rukia and took off running. She rolled her eyes, and continued to pull the dark-haired 'soul reaper' behind her.

"Ichigo! What the heck is going on?" Rukia yelled. The mod frowned slightly.

"There is a hollow after Chad! I can feel a wound on him that's just covered in hollow!" She tried running even faster, but it was hard when she had to drag Rukia along behind her. The girl clearly had a faulty gigai, but she doubted Rukia would listen to her. She had a lock on the Mexican's spiritual pressure, and she wasn't going to compromise that to have a conversation on bodies, fake or not. Internally, she sighed. If Ichigo knew what she was doing to her friends, she would willingly spend eternity in a rabbit's body.

Needless to say, the mod didn't like rabbits.

"Split up! I bet we'll find him faster!" She cried, racing away from Rukia. She needed to get to Chad, and Rukia was just going to slow her down.

* * *

Chad was running.

He knew there was something different about his parakeet, about Yûichi Shibata. After all, he had been friends with Ichigo since the beginning of middle school. She had taught him little things, like how people who could see ghosts' eyes glazed over when they had a ghost attached to them and it said something. Or how the wind could catch a ghost's words and bring them to the living. She had taught him to look for impressions in the grass where no one had been walking, and how to stop relying on his five senses and trust his instincts. It was how he had sensed that Rukia was more than she seemed, and how he had figured out that the ghost inside the parakeet was not the problem.

Something was following them. Something he didn't know if Ichigo could handle on her own. Something he didn't want Rukia to get caught up with. Ichigo could handle herself: they were partners, and as such he knew all of her strengths and weaknesses.

Suddenly, the feeling of being chased subsided, and Chad slid to a stop. "What's happening?" he demanded.

Yûichi was panicking. "The shorter lady who was chasing us! He's attacking her."

Chad felt his blood freeze in his veins. _Rukia._ "Stay here."

"What are you going to do?" the bird shrieked. "You can't even see him! He'll eat you too!" Chad ignored him, placing the cage on a stone fence that reached even above his head. He owed Ichigo, and anyone could see how close Rukia and Strawberry were. Besides, this more than counted as using his strength for someone else.

* * *

Orihime Inoue may not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but she wasn't stupid.

After Ichigo had saved her and her brother (although the memory was hazy: she obviously wasn't supposed to remember), she had begun to see fuzzy shapes. By the end of the day, they had turned into people, and she knew she was seeing ghosts. After all, she had nearly _died_, hadn't she? It seemed only fair that she got super-awesome-ghost-seeing-powers like Ichigo and Rukia had.

Orihime's real skill lay in people, and this was how she knew not to mention her new form of ultra-ness to Rukia or Ichigo. Or anyone for that matter. Tatsuki didn't believe in ghosts. Ichi and Ruki were obviously too busy to really help her (and she wasn't so sure that she should tell them just yet, either.) Anyone else just seemed too random to tell, although she bet Ichigo's friend Chad would understand.

Orihime was not supposed to be a genius, and never was meant to be.

But even she knew that the giant monster sitting on top of the school was dangerous, and that no one else could see it.

* * *

His footsteps echoed in the strangely empty street, and Chad felt a growing sense of panic within him. He couldn't find Rukia. He knew he was close: he could sense the wrong-ness that just had to be the monster Yûichi was afraid of. But every time he turned a corner that they just had to be around, all he would catch a glimpse of was a bit of shimmery air, a lot like heat off the sidewalk on a hot summer day. But that didn't make sense. Ichigo and Rukia could see ghosts, not him. He should know: Ichigo had one attached to her more often than not. But the source of the strange feeling was heading the same way as the shimmery thing, so he chased after it. And when he saw the shimmery thing pinning Rukia to the wall, Chad did one thing he never would have if it weren't for Ichigo.

He brought his fist back, and punched. It connected with something solid and weathered, something hard and unyielding, but Chad ignored any pain that had to come with flesh against (bone?) and knocked the thing away from Rukia.

"Yeah! I got it, I think," he said. Chad was not an idiot, not by a long shot. If he pretended not to be able to see it, and that he knew none of the things that Ichigo had taught him, he would have the advantage. So he followed the dust cloud, throwing punches where he knew there would be nothing to stop his fists. It felt a little strange, but he kept swinging, watching for it to advance on Rukia again. The moment it was in front of her again, he spun around, slamming his tanned fist into the thing.

It squealed in pain, and his dark eyes stared forward blankly as it flew upward. Chad moved forward, once again swinging useless punches. "Hey, stop that!" Rukia yelled to him. "He's up in the air, it's useless anyways!"

Strange how the word 'useless' throws an idea into your head, he mused. "New girl, you can see ghosts?" He mumbled, touching the base of the telephone pole. It would snap pretty cleanly if he pulled hard enough, and he gave it a slight push experimentally. It let out a small whimper, and internally Chad danced for joy, "Where is it?" he said, interrupting her mini-rant of doom™. She blinked at him.

"What are _you_ going to do?" She asked scornfully, so he pulled the pole from it's base.

"**Oh**…..Down, straight down!" Rukia cried, jumping around a bit, and flinging her arm at the demon, pointing at it. He rolled his eyes, and slammed the pole down on what he figured had to be it's neck. Rukia cheered, "Oh yeah!"

The demon came up sputtering. "That was a bad move! After all, what ever made you think I was alone?" And then they were pinned, and Chad wanted to giggle at the absurd looking little creatures. They reminded him of light bulbs, their heads being fat at one end and skinny at the other. They stood on all four legs, like little dogs, but for their size they sure were heavy.

"Hmmmmm, which one of you should I eat first?" The monster wondered. Chad didn't want to find out.

* * *

The mod hid behind the wall, focusing. She wasn't an idiot, not like the hollow and Rukia. Chad clearly could see the hollow, but chose to hide it for the advantage.

'_I wonder if he'd do that if he knew what he truly is. He has power beyond his imagination._

'_Then again, I wouldn't know that if it weren't for Urahara. Stupid Kisuke. He should have done something about these kids a long time ago.'_

The mod closed her eyes, concentrating. She could feel the residues of Ichigo's spiritual pressure, but that was no surprise. What did surprise her was the amount of resistance keeping her out of her host's inner world. Even Urahara, who she defiantly would not have made it this far without, didn't have that strong of resistance, and Benihime hated outsiders. Yoruichi didn't call her a bitch princess for nothing.

The mod gave a solid push with her mind, only to land at the feet of three beings.

"Holy shi.."

* * *

Somewhere in his shop, Urahara Kisuke sneezed.

* * *

Rukia was not the type to get shocked easily.

No, really.

But this human, this friend of Ichigo's, this _Chad_, he surprised her. He was taller than the average person, with strength that matched his size, and was obviously quite smart.

She shouldn't have been surprised when he threw off the demi hollows, but she was. He simply _stood_, shaking them off like a dog shakes off water. And she simply stared in shock, unable to do anything else. '**What is he?**' No human should be able to act like that. The hollow screamed in fury, snapping Rukia out of her thoughts.

"Chad! Kick above me!" she shouted, only to have him do as she said a split second too soon. He helped her to her feet, and she stared at the hollow as her companion followed her gaze. It was an incredibly ugly hollow, although to be fair, most of them were. Its wings were black and leathery, connected by white bone like a bat. Black fur circled it's neck like a collar, and it's head was rectangular and particularly brutish. Black toe and fingernails stuck out against white skin, and a hungry look that she could only describe as evil possessed his soulless eyes.

Chad looked at her, and Rukia knew instinctually that he was asking her if she had a plan.

"Throw me," she said.

* * *

The mod soul scrambled to her feet. With the amount of time she had spent in Ichigo's soul, she had lost Rukia and Chad. They were tricky buggers, but she felt stupider when she realized they were just down the street.

Of course, she felt like a genius when Chad threw Rukia at the hollow, even though the girl clearly had no weapon.

Her head was spinning wildly, but she took off down the road, skidding to a stop beside Chad. "Hello," she said. "I think you need to re-adjust your values and think about why you're fighting this thing." And then she was moving again, tackling Rukia out of the way of some gooey mess that the weird demi-hollows spat out at her. The real hollow stuck out his tongue and shrieked, exploding the goo, and the mod grinned. She often retained her hosts' main emotional traits, but she had never been in a body that loved the thrill of a fight as much as Ichigo Kurosaki. She concentrated on her right hand and the spiritual link she had left in Ichigo's inner world, and the adrenaline rush was like an euphoric high. The zanpakuto raced to her fingers like a mouse with a cat on its tail, and both nearly cried out with anticipation.

Rukia was in a flutter. "How did you do that? You're still in your body!"

The mod met her eyes. "No, I'm not. This is Ichigo's body, and her zanpakuto. I'm just helping out." A flash of golden light hit her eyes, and she turned her head to look at Chad. Sure enough, the red and black armor that she knew existed covered his right arm, and he looked comfortable in his surroundings at last.

The mod swung Ichigo's giant, over-sized, butcher's knife of a zanpakuto so it was even with the hollow's face. "Sucks to be you." And she swung, and grinned when she felt the metal connect with bone.

* * *

Ichigo thought it was only fair that the only thought running through her brain right now was that she absolutely hated Thursdays.

* * *

"_**Things are progressing a little fast, don't you think**_?" the pale woman asked her companions. "_**We aren't supposed to be here yet**_." The man raised his eyebrow while the boy snickered. The woman looked affronted, and glared.

"_Sorry_," the man amended. "_You just haven't known Ichigo as long as we have_."

The boy was still snickering. "_Partner always moves too fast. Nothing we can do will ever slow her down_."

"_**Still, I wish our worlds weren't so entwined now**_," the woman sighed. "_**Why is he here anyways**_?" she asked the man.

"_She needed a balance, a way to stay alive. The only way I could keep her from killing everyone in sight was to give her killing rage to another entity inside her_."

The albino boy giggled. "_Partner, Partner, Queen, Horse, King, Slave, Sun, Moon, Day, Night. How I cannot wait to get my hands on her_."

Unwillingly, the man and woman shuddered.

* * *

The windows had shattered, leaving Orihime, Chizuru, and Tatsuki to clean up the glass, but Orihime couldn't concentrate, every cell in her body screaming for her to run. The adrenaline rush had her on hyper alert, tracking the monster on the roof like a hunting dog.

"Come on, let's leave," she suggested skittishly. "There's a TV show I want to watch." Chizuru fell for it immediately, going on and on about her beautiful Hime, but it had taken her a minute to convince Tatsuki to come with them.

But the odds were not in her favor, as Tatsuki had gone inside to change out of her karate gi, and now Orihime and Chizuru stood outside the school, with Orihime on high alert, shifting from foot to foot. Nervously, she glanced back up at where the demon was resting.

It wasn't there. She whirled around to face Chizuru again, but the demonic feeling was right behind her. "Chizuru! Run away!"

It wouldn't have made a difference. The projectiles came raining down on them like hail, and Orihime bit back a scream. Why wasn't she strong enough?

"You can see me, can't you, girl?" the monster purred happily, and Orihime shuddered. Uncalled, the name Ichigo had used popped into her brain. _Hollow_. She ignored the creature, choosing instead to race to Chizuru's side. "Are you okay?"

"Yep! Fine, see? It still moves." Chizuru tried to reassure her. "Aww, you're crying. Don't worry. It's bleeding lots, but it doesn't hurt. Smile, okay? I like you a lot better when you're laughing." Orihime tried to smile, but then Chizuru's hand was around her throat and she knew exactly what the projectiles did. She swallowed reflexively, tilting her head back a bit. More and more air was being squeezed from her, collecting in her lungs and stopping at Chizuru's hand. "What? Hey, Orihime, I can't stop. Orihime, I'm sorry."

'I know.' They stood still, with the exception of the red-head's hand, and the hollow laughed gleefully. "Oh, this will be fun! I don't like fighting myself, but I can control anyone with the seeds in them. Oh, how long has it been since I've seen a girl get mercilessly murdered by her classmates?" It hummed happily as the other kids who had been hit crawled out from the school, joining Chizuru. Hands reached for Orihime, clasping on to her shirt, her arms, her hair, her legs: anywhere they could reach, they were pulling and twisting, and she screamed, feeling like she was being torn apart.

'Sora, I'll see you soon.'

Vaguely, she felt something pulse near her, and then she was free. Her knees collapsed, and Orihime clutched at her throat, gasping for air. A shadow fell across her, but suddenly it didn't matter. Not when she knew she would glance up and see Tatsuki protecting her.

"You lot should be ashamed of yourselves!" the dark haired girl cackled. "No one hurts Orihime and gets away with it!" She swung her left foot forward, slamming it into an overly persistent boy's head. A little hop and she was on his other side, twirling her right foot into another's stomach. She threw her left arm sideways, and it slammed into someone's neck, causing them to pass out. Tatsuki laughed, continuing to throw punches and kicks at everyone who came her way. No one hurt her Orihime!

Orihime climbed warily to her feet. Tatsuki was beating up her attackers, but she couldn't see the demon controlling them. She had to do _something_, anything to stop it. Her arm throbbed, so she held it to stop the bleeding. She knew she was in rough shape. Her legs would surely have bruises by morning, and nail marks covered her arms. She watched Tatsuki for a moment. The girl was a fighter, stronger than Orihime ever would be.

"Run, Tatsuki!" Maybe it was the fact that it was Chizuru shouting, or the words themselves, but Tatsuki paused. It was long enough for them to grab her, and Orihime found herself screaming again. The hollow shot it's projectiles into the dark haired girl, and Orihime felt tears roll down her face.

"Damn it! Ichigo, why aren't you here to help," she screamed. She had helped against Sora, why wasn't she here now. Something burst inside her, and Orihime glared at the demon. "You! You hurt the wrong person! If you hurt Tatsuki, I'll kill you." She held out her left hand, her thumb facing the ground. She blinked as a sword formed inside of it. That wasn't right. It was supposed to be…

"Orihime!" a small voice chirped, and her head whipped around to face six small, pixie-like beings. A slow grin broke out across Orihime's face.

"This isn't the first time we've been through this, is it?" She asked them softly. Without waiting for a reply, she shouted, "Santen Ketsuhun! I reject!"

It was like a trigger had been pulled in her mind. Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily raced ahead of her, creating a shield that instantly destroyed all of the projectiles. Orihime giggled, and set Shunô and Ayame to healing Tatsuki. Then, she turned to face Tsubaki. "I have a weapon this time, too. Together?"

"Together," he replied, and they spun to face the hollow. Orihime leapt forward, slashing at its tentacles. Tsubaki shot past her, shattering the hollow's mask into pieces. The monster shrieked, and shattered. Orihime turned to face her shunshun rikka.

"You're not supposed to remember," Lily told her. "None of us are. We had to do something to change the time line, for some reason. We don't remember why."

Orihime nodded. "We won't tell anyone, then. We'll figure it out ourselves, and try to stop it." Shunshun rikka nodded, and transformed back into her hair pins. She tucked them back into her hair, and left to find Ichigo.

* * *

A/N: The plot thickens! What do you all think? I'm thinking there will only be another two or three chapters before they end up in the soul society, but I'm not sure.

And I'm sorry Orihime's bit was so bad/short, but she's got a much bigger role to play.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Because Ichigo hears so many voices in her head:

'**words'**- Rukia

'words'- Ichigo

_words _- dreams

'_words'_- Hichigo/Zangetsu

'_**words**_' – can't tell yet, but it will be revealed by the end of this chapter. For realz this time, yo!

Chapter 7

What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful. – Scot Westerfeld

He stood on the roof of a tall building, watching his daughter race around the city, destroying hollows and protecting her friends. Isshin chuckled slightly, pulling a cigarette out from somewhere inside his clothes.

"She's beautiful, isn't she, Masaki? She's the one, I can tell." He looked up at the sky and smiled, breathing out a long tendril of smoke. "Our daughter is going to change the world."

* * *

The mod was at her limit.

It wasn't that she didn't like Rukia, in fact, being in Ichigo's body made her quite nice to be around (stupid mod powers). So it wasn't the fact that they were running through the city in search of Ichigo and Orihime, with Chad hot on their heels, or the fact that she could feel how weak the other girl's spiritual pressure was. No, it was the fact that Rukia would not stop staring at her, like she was some sort of specimen in a zoo.

"I'm just a mod soul, you know. Kisuke Urahara sent me to Ichigo specifically," she said, sighing slightly. In truth, she hadn't wanted to reveal her purpose to anyone but the orange-haired girl. Kisuke had been sort of insistent that she needed to keep an eye on who she told had sent her, and that she was only for Ichigo, but she figured Rukia was okay. She could feel both girls trying to open their mental connection, but she held the door shut. Kisuke had something big planned for Ichigo within the next couple hours, and it was her duty to keep anyone from interfering unless it was necessary.

Like Orihime-chan and Chad-kun, or even Uryu-san. They were almost as important as Ichigo in this case, seeing as they were the ones who were going to help Ichigo. The mod sighed. Yoruichi-sama had explained it all to her, but she didn't really understand. She did understand why the ex-captain rarely even held her sword, however.

"Why would he do that?" the dark-haired soul reaper asked. The mod shot her an odd look.

"Don't you know?"

Rukia was stunned. "Huh?"

It was a little strange being grilled by Ichigo's body like this. "Why would you give her your spiritual powers without knowing? Ichigo isn't what she appears to be."

"What does she appear to be?"

"A lot of things. Weak. Powerful. Human. Shinigami. Female. Male. Young. Old. Whatever it is, will you be ready to stand by her, no matter what?"

That left Rukia quiet for a long time.

* * *

Ishida Uryu had a serious problem.

When Ichigo had been close to him, it had been easier to pull the spiritual pressure out of the air and redirect it as his own. He knew it was simply because the girl had more spiritual power than most, but that in itself angered him. Why should Kurosaki Ichigo, a practical through and through soul reaper, have more power than the Quincy?

She wouldn't, he decided, and reached out to the spiritual pressure he could feel from across the entire town, pulling the extra she left off, and redirected it as his own. As long as he kept doing this, she would never be able to beat him. He was a Quincy, almost the Quincy. He, Ishida Uryu, was superior.

He ignored the little voice in his head that was telling him that a week ago, she had been only human.

* * *

As her sword chopped off yet another head, Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little smug. There was no way that the … Ishima bastard would ever defeat her. She was a much nicer person than he was, and that was saying something. If she had learned one thing from all the stories her parents read her as a child, and all the fights with Tatsuki, it was the good guys couldn't afford to let the bad guys win. She would show Imisha Ruyu his place, if it was the last thing she ever did!

Now….what was his name again?

* * *

Orihime's legs burned, but it felt good. She ran, easing her body into a routine that felt as natural as breathing, not minding that the pace kept her slightly ahead of any cars travelling down the same road. Not that many people were around, on the sidewalk or in their vehicles. But it didn't matter; she knew what she had to do, although she didn't know how or why she knew it. The first step was to find Ichigo, and she knew Chad was doing the same. Step two was to eliminate the minor threats, as well as protect the civilians and Ichigo while she took out any major threats, while Uryu took the sniper position on the roof.

The brunette blinked. Uryu? As in the boy with the highest marks in school and was in her sewing club? If she didn't know that all of this was real, she would think her imagination was running a bit too wild.

"Oi, woman! Watch where you're going!" Tsubaki shouted, and Orihime snapped back to reality in time to realize she was going to run right into Ichigo. Internally, she cursed, but out loud she activated santen ketshun. The shield popped up between them, but the impact hurt a lot less than it would have if their bodies collided. Both girls crashed to the ground, crying out sharply at the mostly unexpected landing.

Orihime groaned, and rubbed her lower back. Ichigo stared at her friend, obviously confused. "Orihime?" she asked, shaking her head as if to clear it. Orihime felt sorry for the other girl. She must have looked like quite a sight, with the sword still in her hand, Tsubaki and Shunô on her shoulders, Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, and Lily hovering worriedly behind her head. Tsubaki glared at each girl for a moment before Shunô looked at him pointedly and he glanced away, blushing. Orihime giggled, and grinned, "Hi, Ichigo. I'm a superhero too!"

Ichigo chuckled, which made Orihime feel better about running into her in the first place. "I can see that," she murmured, studying each of the pieces of Shun Shun Rikka respectively. She turned her head back to Orihime, obviously confused. "How?"

Tsubaki's anger flared, and Orihime was surprised to find that she felt it echoing inside her. "You are the reason that we exist, and yet you don't even realize that it was your reiatsu that brought us into existence?" he snapped, shooting forward to end up right in front of Ichigo's nose in a condescending way that Orihime recognized. "Then I guess you don't know about Chad either! I bet you never thought about what the consequences of teaching a human with no spiritual powers would be to their soul, or how his would react to such strong pressure from yours! You are lucky; if Orihime and Chad hadn't been as strong as they were, you might have killed them!" He glared at Ichigo, then snorted at her shocked face, flying back to Orihime's shoulder. Orihime and Shunô shared a look before the female leader of shunshun rikka slowly moved to Orihime's other shoulder. "Sorry about him," the brunette said, just as Shunô shoved her hand over Tsubaki's mouth, "He's a bit of a meanie."

Ichigo nodded slowly, climbing to her feet before pulling Orihime up. "Come on. We need to beat that Ishi...Ishi...that bastard before he gets more hollows than us. I swear, he's the most annoying guy I've ever met, and I've met annoying people! He's all like 'I'm better than you because I'm a Quincy and you're a soul reaper!' Well, I'll show him. I can beat his ass!"

Orihime blinked. "Ishi...as in Ishida? The Uryu who's in our class? Geez, he's supposed to be on our team!" She stormed off, leaving behind a very confused Ichigo.

"Wait...Orihime!"

* * *

Chad knew where he had to go. Orihime's spiritual pressure had spiked, and that meant that she had found Ichigo. The second Ichigo was heading in the wrong direction, and the new girl was following her. Chad turned around, and began heading towards the others. He knew he had to hurry, although he didn't know quite why.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Rukia snapped at the mod, her head beginning to ache. She was pretty sure the mod was blocking mental communication between her and Ichigo, and it made her head ache in a strangely empty way. She wished it was the orange haired girl beside her, instead of the orange haired imposter. At least, that's the way it felt.

The mod sighed. Of all the jobs Kisuke-baka had to give her...

"Listen, Rukia. Today the stealth force is being sent out to take pictures of what is going on in Karakura, because you have not come home yet. Eventually, people will be sent out to find you, and they might be of any class. Even captain. That is why, if we hide you today, we can use your spiritual pressure in Ichigo to fool whoever comes to get you into believing that there is some mysterious force here that changes the way that soul reapers look. This was not my idea. It was Kisuke-ba...san's. That's why Ichigo needs a mod soul. To make it more realistic. I will act like a typical gigai."

Rukia was slightly confused. "Kisuke-baasan?" she questioned. Pseudo-Ichigo sighed.

This was going to be a **very **long day.

* * *

Uryu was startled to see Orihime march up to him, with Ichigo running behind her. He turned to face her, only to receive a sharp slap to the face.

"Uryu Ishida!" the brunette snapped. "What have you done? Don't you realize we are a team? Challenging our leader will not bring about change. We talk about things on this squad, and you should know that! It's the way things have always worked, and it's the way they always will! Apologize, now!" She stomped her foot, and glared at the Quincy, who flinched back.

"Um...Orihime? What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked. Orihime turned to her friend to explain, and realized she wasn't quite sure herself.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I just know that we are a team. All of us, Chad included. And...The captain? I don't know who he is, but I get the definite feeling that he is important. You're our leader, Ichigo. The three of us follow you. Chad and I protect the bystanders and take out the minor threats, Uryu is our sniper, and you take out the biggest threat before helping us."

"Hn." The quiet agreement came from behind her, and Ichigo started, spinning around to face her best friend. Chad was always with her, she realized. Protecting her and taking out the minor threats.

"You've been following that for ages, haven't you?" She asked him.

Chad was a person of very few words, so she was shocked when he spoke, "I always have, and always will, use my fists for you."

She grinned up at him, "Thanks Chad." The moment seemed peaceful, and all four relaxed in it. Bonds that they hadn't realized were broken were beginning to be mended, and they felt more relaxed in each other's presence than they had in several years. But the moment was not to last.

The roar was deafening, and Ichigo realized that the hollow bait was still in effect. She tilted her head up, only to realize that it wasn't several hollows that had screamed their rage. It was several hundred, and they were all flying directly towards their team. They jumped into a subconscious positioning, with Uryu in the back, and Chad and Orihime at her elbows. Ichigo had her sword out, but it still didn't feel right.

_**'Of course it isn't right! I'm not yours!'**_

_'_Who are you?'

_**'The zanpakuto in your hand.'**_

'Nice try. I'm not stupid enough to fall for that.'

_**'It's true. It's also why this doesn't feel right. I am Rukia's weapon, not yours. You wouldn't have realized this, except that when she gave you her spiritual powers, you accidentally gave her some of yours, connecting your minds. I can speak to you, just as your sword can talk to her.' **_

'Prove it.'

_**'Call my name: Sode no Shirayuki. Tell me to dance.'**_

Ichigo did as she was told, and a ribbon extended from the hilt of the sword, and Ichigo ran her hand over the blade naturally, feeling as if the move was set in stone. She extended the sword before her, but the feeling coming off of it was like using someone else's cell phone after only using yours for several years. It felt awkward and clumsy, as did the feeling of Sode no Shirayuki in her mind. She could also feel Chad, Orihime, and Uryu staring at the zanpakuto, as if trying to figure out what was wrong.

"That's not right," Chad said, and Ichigo mused that she knew them better than she thought.

* * *

The mod felt the explosion of Sode no Shirayuki in her mind, and from Rukia's cry of shock she was sure that the other girl did too. She flipped her sword in her hand, and held the hilt out to Rukia. "Here," she said. "Zangetsu is Ichigo's, and until you switch back, he will serve you well." Rukia reached out and took the sword, and both jumped when it shrunk to a more Rukia sized blade. Rukia grinned, then turned to Pseudo-Ichigo.

"Sorry," She murmured, startling the mod when the red glove was slammed into her stomach, pushing the mod into Rukia's waiting hand. "Ichigo's safety is more important than mine any day." She stuffed the mod into her pocket, then looked down at Ichigo's body. Chad was nowhere in sight either...Rukia sighed, and began to haul Ichigo's body off the road.

* * *

Uryu was prepared. Prepared to be a sniper, prepared to follow Ichigo in whatever she did. Not for Ichigo, but for the oblivious love of his life. The girl that he had sworn since the moment he met her that he would marry one day.

The girl who had just slapped him.

Uryu resisted the urge to sigh, and touch his cheek with his hand. His face was officially made of epic win.

* * *

He was hungry. At least, he thought he was a male. Every time he ate one of his companions, it became harder and harder to remember anything but the hunger, which seemed to echo in every cell. He moaned, and latched onto the leg of another companion. He had to keep eating. He had to stop being so hungry.

A roar echoed across the empty wasteland of Hueco Mundo and beyond. It took him a minute to realize it was his.

* * *

The reaction to the hollow's roar was automatic for Rukia and the people at Urahara Shoten.

"Menos..."

For Orihime, Uryu, and Chad, the reaction was similar yet totally different. The spiritual pressure was enormous, and they had to stop themselves from caving underneath it.

For Ichigo, it was a simple acknowledgement of what Orihime told her. Chad and Orihime protected the civilians, Uryu was the sniper, and she was to take out all the major threats.

And the giant hollow was clearly a major threat. So she took off running towards it, and leapt into the air, remembering how it felt to float when Orihime's brother pushed her out the window. She couldn't quite remember it, so she imagined it like a video game, hopping from platform to platform until she reached the top, and brought her sword down on the big hollow's mask, just like Rukia had taught her.

The giant hollow roared, and stepped backwards, falling into the giant rip in the sky that it had fallen out of, and Ichigo floated (albeit very quickly) back to the ground.

She honestly didn't understand why her team was suddenly surrounding her, checking to see if she was alright, and why Rukia was in her head, roaring about all the stupid things she could have done, and how she had to pick that one.

* * *

A/N: I am sorry this took so long. I know a lot of you won't want to hear excuses, and if you don't, skip the next paragraph.

First, my laptop broke. (Grr) My little sister dropped it, and she has no form of money with the exception of her allowance, so I couldn't make her buy me a new one. Then the principal of our school died in our gym with most of the school there watching. It was really tough to find inspiration after that, but when I found a cool book that when you write in it, the pen changes different colours and BLAM! Inspiration.

Now I am in my last year of high school (My brother and I were kept back a year because we used to bite anyone who made fun of us), so things might not get any quicker. Sorry, all!


	8. Interlude of a modified soul

Paku - the interlude

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. - A. A. Milne

Some days I forget why I exist. It's hard, being me. Being one of the others like me. Being one of the others is even harder than being me, though, because they are dead and I am alive. Alive for one purpose, which I often forget, but shouldn't.

The man with the funny hat and the old-fashioned clogs was the one who saved me. 'Mr. Hat-and-Clogs', as I used to call him, at least until I became aware enough to remember his name. He only laughed, and said it made me perfect for my purpose. There was also 'Mr. Buff-Scary-Dude', 'No-Gender-Kitty', 'Annoying-Brat-Boy', and 'Cute-Shy-Antenna-Girl.' They took me in, gave me a body to practice with, gave me_ their_ bodies to practice with. They saved my life, and in doing so risked their own. Maybe one day I will be able to repay their kindness. But until then, I have to keep my purpose in mind. I have to remember that my life is for hers, as is theirs.

Ichigo Kurosaki.

I have been training for most of my knowledge of my existence to help her. I know her strengths, her weaknesses, her likes and her hates. I know that every morning she eats a piece of toast with their neighbour's homemade strawberry jam smeared lightly on both sides, but refuses to eat strawberries unless there is no one around who will make fun of her for it because of her name. I know she had a crush on Chad for a week before she remembered that she was never going to fall in love because everyone treats a woman who is a girlfriend or a wife differently. I know that her heart still aches when she thinks about her mom, and that she sees the same potential happiness in Orihime's eyes. I know all of this, but I knew all of this before I entered her body and absorbed her excess spiritual pressure, allowing my ability of copying a person exactly to take hold. Ever since then, although admittedly it has only been a day, I have known that she loves her new friends, but won't admit it to save herself the heartbreak. I know she will do anything for them, including but not limited to moving mountains.

After the fight, I was given to Ichigo by Rukia at Urahara's. She held me close, cradled in her palm, and for a long while I couldn't hear them talking. I don't like when I don't have a physical body. It isn't like any movie or book. It is darkness, with no knowledge of whether I exist or not, just sounds of a possible outside world, and that is only if my tiny world is out in the open air. For what feels like eternity, for in my life I am ageless, there is silence, and suddenly, a single word is whispered to me. A name.

Suddenly, it is all easier to understand. I am Paku, and I exist. I am here, floating in this semi-reality until she needs me, until I am called to protect her with my entire being. Until I need to be her.

I am Paku, and I exist for Ichigo.

And that is the way it will always be.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans - Ronald Regan**

Her head hurt. As did her arms and legs and chest, and her entire body, really. But she needed to train, and night was the best time to do so, while no one could see her. She needed to get better, to help her, to help them. Her sword gleamed in the moonlight, and her hair dripped with sweat. For a moment, she let the tip rest on the ground, her breath escaping past her lips in sharp huffs. Her eyes drooped closed, and she tilted her head back to breath in the cool, dew filled air. One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand. Then her head tipped back to level, and her blade was raised in the perfect starting position. Anything she needed to do, she would; anything to bring herself back up to standards so she could protect them.

* * *

Uryu didn't know what to think of their mismatched new group. Chad was quiet and somewhat of a loner, but he belonged to the same group as Ichigo, which was the group of somewhat outcast and delinquent boys (Uryu thought it was hilarious that a girl was the leader of that group). Orihime was one of the most popular girls in school, being as lovable and kind as she was. And then there was Rukia, the soul reaper who clearly had no idea what was going on. Tatsuki sat just behind and to the side of Orihime, and Mizuiro and Keigo sat between Chad and Ichigo. As Uryu watched, the group slowly began to converse, until it was obvious to him that these people were now friends. His new friends, he shuddered.

Orihime noticed Uryu's discomfort, and smiled at him. He was so nice to come and sit with them when it clearly wasn't his forte, she thought, and her grin turned a bit wider. She turned back to Tatsuki, and therefore missed the Quincy's blush, but Chad, Rukia, Mizuiro, and Tatsuki didn't. Ichigo and Keigo were too busy shouting at each other to pay attention, but they probably wouldn't have noticed anyways.

So yeah, things were weird, people were either too observant or oblivious, and part of Uryu was having a panic attack about the possibility of being sunburnt, but a bigger part of him wouldn't have it other way.

* * *

Rukia had been quiet all day, and while Ichigo had pretended she hadn't noticed, apparently Paku couldn't do the same. "You have to tell her!" The mod soul, now placed in a stuffed mouse toy, exclaimed as they entered Ichigo's room. "She can help you, or have you forgotten what I told you, what the soul society will do to her for taking your powers!"

Rukia glared at Paku, and Ichigo moved to close the window the other girl had climbed in through so she wouldn't shrink back against the wall. "She didn't take my powers, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! But I can't burden her with _my_ mistakes."

"Yes, you can," Ichigo and Paku said at the same time. Ichigo blushed, and looked at the ceiling as she rubbed the back of her neck, "I was awake the other night when you were thinking about never having a sister before. We'll always be family after this, and what's family for if not to help each other?" Rukia paled, shrinking in on herself. Ichigo watched her closely in the corner of her eye. They pulled the barrier down most days so Ichigo couldn't hear her thoughts now, but she didn't have to, not anymore. Not when she knew Rukia better than anyone she had ever met, when they may as well have grown up together for all they knew and could feel about the other. "I can handle it, Rukia. You protected me and my family when you didn't know us from a hole in the ground," she took a deep breath. "That war I said I wouldn't fight when you first showed me what I had to do? I was wrong. I would go to war for _you_, sister." Rukia's breath hitched, and Ichigo could see the tears dripping off her chin and falling to the floor. The silence was tense, expectant, and Ichigo found she was unsure of what to do, as well as unable to move. She bit her lip, glad Rukia couldn't see her, then blinked twice. If it were Yuzu or Karin in front of her, she would…

("Idiots!" Paku murmured, climbing up to stare out the window. She was ignored.)

Slowly, as if the girl in front of her was a wild animal instead of a person she treasured, Ichigo pulled Rukia to her and put her arms around her shoulders. Rukia returned the hug, sobbing into Ichigo's shirt. They stood there for a long time, until Rukia's tears reduced to sniffles and Ichigo felt she could let go without her falling apart. "They're coming after me," Rukia whispered tiredly. Ichigo opened her mouth to ask more, but Rukia was asleep, exhausted from crying. Ichigo carefully placed her on the bed, and looked at Paku who was watching her intently.

'_**What will you do for her now?**_' Sode no Shirayuki said, startling Ichigo. '_What will you do, partner?_' '_You are not the only one at the Shinigami girl's disposal. Rally your army, before you are too late!_' Two new voices, familiar but not, added themselves to her thoughts, and Ichigo briefly wondered if she really was going crazy.

"Rally my army….."

* * *

'_And yet now you interfere_," Zangetsu chuckled softly to his newest companion. '_Isn't that a bit contradictory to "we are moving too fast"?_' He watched her closely as she watched Ichigo's hollow half suspiciously, not that he could blame her. The boy was strange, even for a hollow, and he sat by the pond in the side of the skyscraper. Their inner world had changed too much in the last few months, and none of them particularly enjoyed it.

Sode no Shirayuki glared and Zangetsu shivered as she dropped the temperature around him by several degrees. '_**Ichigo and Rukia are almost one, now. You cannot tell me you wouldn't do anything for mine as I would do anything for yours.**_'

He held his hands up in defence. '_You are right, sister. I never meant to imply otherwise._' She grinned, her demeanor changing drastically when he called her sister. They shared a look, and missed the hollow boy's intrigued mumble, '_Two queens?_'

* * *

When Rukia woke up, she was surprised to find her head in Orihime's lap. The other girl was running her hands through Rukia's hair, cooing nonsense under her breath as two of her hairpin fairies healed the girl in their lady's arms. "Rukia?" Ichigo asked quietly. Rukia sat up, and blinked away the leftover confusion from sleep when she saw Uryu sitting in Ichigo's chair and Chad leaning against the wall. Ichigo sat on the floor, waiting calmly for her sister to speak first.

'**What's happening, Ichigo?**' she asked, feeling a bit stupid.

"Relax, Ruki," Orihime said, placing her hand on her shoulder. "We are here to help you and Ichi. She phoned us because she knew you would need help." Chad nodded, and Uryu met her gaze steadily. Rukia could feel the panic rising in her.

"No! You can't, they'd kill all of us. I can't let that happen, not because of me," she looked at Ichigo, her eyes pleading to be understood. Whoever they sent, none of her new friends could stand a chance, not when every move they made wasn't trained into their bodies more than a thousand times, when they acted on instinct without any trained skill. How could she let these wonderful people put their lives on the line for her?

"You saved my life first," Ichigo replied.

"Mine too," Orihime piped up.

"Hn," Chad intoned, and Rukia knew he was agreeing.

Uryu pushed up his glasses, and opened his mouth to speak, but Paku interrupted, "This was Kisuke-san's plan all along, nee-chan. There are more players in the game than he expected to have at this point, but it works in our favour. Ichigo can go meet Renji-san, convince him to give you a few more days, and Yoruichi will distract Byakuya-taicho while these three take you to Urahara's shop."

Rukia bit her lip. "It won't work."

Paku grinned. "That's because you don't know all of it."

* * *

'I feel stupid,' Ichigo told Rukia, rubbing her hands on her arms to warm them up. She stood all alone in an empty street, shifting her weight nervously.

'**You look stupid too. Just relax or you'll muck it all up.**' Ichigo sighed, glancing down at the sundress Orihime and Rukia had forced her into, saying she needed to dress more like Rukia would if they were going to keep up her disguise. She shut her eyes, slowly letting out a bit of the spiritual pressure that Rukia had shown her, the stuff that belonged to Rukia in the first place. Then, she waited.

"You aren't Rukia," a voice said behind her, and Ichigo turned to face the redhead there.

"Renji," she breathed, letting Rukia take control of her body through their connection. "Renji, it's me. It's really me." She shivered slightly; she had never seen the look of hatred that he was giving her. It hurt, seeing him look at her like that. She wished they were still friends, but they hadn't been able to speak since…. "I've missed you," she whispered. "I knew they would send you, and nii-sama. I'm a Kuchiki, after all." She could see he still didn't believe her. "Renji….."

"You look _nothing_ like her, how do you expect to make me believe you are her? We were sent because some human took her powers. You are that human, aren't you?" She didn't answer, and his anger intensified. "Aren't you!"

"No one took my powers, Renji. Something swapped our minds. I am here as much as the girl who owns this body is in mine. She had nothing to do with this, doesn't even have strong spiritual pressure. Because I do, I have been doing my job as her. It's all I can do!"

"Prove it," he hissed, and she swallowed Paku's capsule, separating from her body in a smooth motion. She still looked the same, of course.

But Sode no Shirayuki rested proudly against her back, and she pulled the zanpakuto from its sheath, swinging it in her usual arc around her body. "_**Dance**_," she and the sword cried, feeling their energy in sync for the first time in months. "Even if a human had stolen my body, she would have her own zanpakuto, no?" she exclaimed, feeling the thrill race through her as the pure white blade whispered through the air. "Do I have to encase you in ice to 'prove' what it can do?" Renji watched her with shock in his eyes, but there was tenderness in them that she had missed. "I haven't done anything wrong, Renji! I just need more time to figure it out, to get my body back. Please, I cannot do this without you! I _need_ you, Renji."

"I can give you a week, tops," Renji promised, and she hugged him. He tensed, before he relaxed and draped his arms around her waist. She was amused to see that she was almost taller than him.

"Thank you."

* * *

"What kind of dumbass has a large training room in his basement?" Rukia exclaimed angrily. Orihime, Chad and Uryu exchanged glances, Orihime's laughter almost bubbling out of her while the boys managed to keep their faces straight. They knew it was Ichigo in Rukia's body, but that didn't make it any less funny to hear the dainty girl sound so brash.

* * *

"And so it begins," Ichigo said to Paku, cradling the stuffed mouse in her arms. "We train now, right?"

Paku nodded. "We teach Ichigo to use Sode no Shirayuki and Zangetsu, and you to use her blade. We will stop this from ruining lives."

* * *

Shunshun Rikka, for that was also the name of her blade, was growing heavier in her arms, and Orihime sighed. She knew that training at night these last few days would come back to bite her. The tip of the blade rested against the sand, and Orihime sighed.

"Have you figured anything else out?" She asked Shunô quietly, watching Uryu practice his aim as Chad worked with the cat, Yoruichi. Rukia and Ichigo couldn't be seen from where she was standing, but she could hear the metal in their swords clashing as each stroke of their zanpakuto connected, and Urahara-san yelling advice and encouragement.

"We had to save someone important," Ayame said shyly. "Whoever it was died, and we had to go back to bring them back." Tsubaki laughed harshly. "More importantly," he said, "if we aren't careful it will happen again. You can't let your hatred of force hold you back this time. I am only as strong as your anger, just as the others are only as strong as your will to protect and to heal."

"I know," Orihime said, and she lifted her sword and got back to work.

* * *

A/n: Uhhhhhhhhh, hi? I would just like to say that the reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, and I'm back now. I had some pretty crazy stuff happen that I'm not going to share, but I should be updating pretty regularly now.


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